


Unexpected Treasure

by PyaarIshq381



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Mild Gore, Mpreg, Sexual Content, will add more when I remember or think of more...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2017-12-28 11:51:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyaarIshq381/pseuds/PyaarIshq381
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set right after Sasuke's fight with Itachi...Madara (a.k.a Tobi a.k.a Obito) fails to convince Sasuke to help him capture the last remaining bijuu. Sasuke is determined to have his revenge and no one is going to stop him! Not even Konoha's 'Number One Unpredictable Ninja'-MPREG</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> Is a fic I have been working on, at fanfiction.net for the past 2 years and thought , hey... why not put it up here as well. I am still looking for a beta for this baby thats why the progress has been rather slow and the fic not as good as I want it to be ! Anyway do try and enjoy and if anyone finds any mistakes (grammatical and spelling of course) please do let me know so I can rectify my mistakes . Good reading !!

**Sasuke**

Loneliness, agony, pain, fear, anger, grief, helplessness and an unquenchable thirst for revenge were all familiar feelings to him. All he'd ever known, since that horrifying day his brother had brutally murdered their parents and massacred their whole clan in cold blood. These feelings were what had driven him to betray his village, abandon his comrades and friends. But worst of all, these feelings had led him to a death battle at the Valley of the End where he had almost killed his best friend and the only person who remotely came close to understanding him. All in his quest for power.

He had thought he'd understood, then, what grief and desolation meant as he walked away from his defeated friend, who'd now become an enemy. In some corner of his mind, hidden deep within his conscience, he'd been relieved that he had not given in fully to those feelings, and the taunts of his brother that had replayed over and over in his mind... urging him to kill his closest friend so that he could activate the Mangekyo Sharingan. However, defect from his village he had... and of his own will... therefore he'd unequivocally severed his ties with Konoha... and Naruto.

He'd grieved then,...his heart bleeding at the thought of loosing Naruto, but his desire to kill Itachi and avenge his lost clan had meant more to him, driving him forward to Orochimaru and his destiny as the avenger.

However, as he processed the information the masked man he'd come to know as Uchiha Madara, had given him, he felt his whole world shatter. A pain and sense of betrayal sharper than he'd felt when he'd seen his brother standing over the bloodied corpses of their parents, tore at his heart , shredding it to pieces as if it were a ferocious beast. He clawed at his neck, struggling to breathe as the sheer enormity of what he'd done hit him like a sledge hammer to the chest.

The cave like room they were in started to spin as his vision went in and out of focus. He could barely hear the other man's voice, as he urged him to breathe. Memories of what had happened earlier came rushing before his mind's eye ... Itachi's taunts,Tsukuyomi...Amaterasu... Kirin...Susano'o... finally leading to Itachi's bloodied fingers tapping his forehead gently, sadness and regret reflected in his dark weary eyes...

 

" ** _Sorry Sasuke. This is it_** ".

 

A feral scream full of wretched and utter despair tore out of his chest and he felt his body fall, still weak, desperately trying to recuperate from the damage it had suffered at the hands of his now deceased brother . As the light and the world faded from his eyes, one thought remained steadfast in his mind as he lost consciousness. Konoha would pay dearly!

**Konoha**

' _We've done everything we can. Let's head back...to Konoha'_

 

Naruto woke up in a cold sweat.

His room was still dark, even though the incessant chirping of birds outside his window signalled the beginning of daybreak.

His room... he realised with a pang;

They were back in Konoha. It had been a week since they'd returned from their failed mission to capture the Uchiha and bring him home

They'd been so close this time, he thought as he groaned out loud, the sound muffled by the pillow he'd stuffed his face in, in a fit of exasperation.They had been so close to bringing Sasuke back home that it had almost killed him when they'd lost his trail. He remembered the sense of desperation he had felt as Sasuke's scent and chakra faded into nothingness in the rain while he was left to deal with the wrong Uchiha. Damn Itachi and his sense of timing!

There had been no trail to follow, no clue as to where their former comrade had vanished to. He 'd seen his feelings mirrored in the the eyes of his team-mates, as he'd read frustration and sadness, when they'd regrouped back at the Uchiha ruins. The blonde teen had heard the defeat in Kakashi's voice as he ordered his team back to Konoha; the boy finally and reluctantly acknowledging that his friend had yet again eluded them and escaped their clutches.

Naruto felt like he was going to cry. He still couldn't understand why Sasuke had disappeared and hadn't come back home when it was clear that Itachi was dead ( _although how Itachi found Sasuke before they did still baffled Naruto_ ) .

Despite the Amaterasu flames and Tobi's interference stopping them from reaching the fight and Sasuke, Zetsu's feedback had informed them of the elder Uchiha demise, therefore it was only sensible for Sasuke to come back home . He had achieved what he'd set out to do. Sasuke had left to kill Itachi and avenge the massacre of the Uchiha clan, at the expense of his village, comrades and friends. Itachi was dead...and as far as Naruto was concerned, that was all done and dusted.

Of course he knew the village would not welcome Sasuke back with open arms. Konoha's elders did not take too kindly to rogue ninjas who defected and risked the security of the village. However, Naruto, as well as everyone else involved knew that Sasuke , unlike any other rogue ninja who would've immediately been disposed of when captured, or imprisoned indefinitely if they surrendered, was for all intents and purposes the last remaining Uchiha; one of the oldest and half of the founding clans of the village of Konohagakure.

The Uchiha could not be disposed of so easily as Sasuke had the sole responsibility of reviving his clan. To the elders and other clan leaders, Sasuke's crimes were nothing, when weighed against the need for the Uchiha clan's revival and everyone knew it . Naruto, as a fellow member of team 7, exclusively knew that this reason was also another one of Sasuke's goals that he had yet to achieve .

SO WHERE THE HELL IS THAT DAMN BASTARD ? Naruto screamed and cursed inwardly at the image of his ruthless and cold-hearted friend that he'd conjured up in his mind, as he tossed and turned on his rumpled bed covers.

'He should be here in Konoha getting ready to make babies with one, or two or  all of his fan girls for all I care ,' Naruto thought angrily, ' well...except for Sakura-chan of course' he added when the idea of Sasuke and Sakura making babies together sent cold shivers down his spine, though he didn't know why. Perhaps it was because he had a crush on Sakura...

Or was it another reason altogether... ?

He was so caught up in his mental rantings that he noticed too late, after a particularly violent toss, that he'd over estimated the width of his single bed. Thus Konoha's most infamous, 'Number One Unpredictable' blonde-haired ninja started out his day with a nasty bump on his head and a sore and bruised backside


	2. Surprising News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was not very satisfied with this chapter. Really struggled with it and tried to re-write it but the same spew kept coming out so in the end I gave in so I just posted it. I know I already mentioned this in the previous chapter but I felt the need to repeat myself though why, I DONT KNOW... all mistakes are mine as I have no beta so please bear with me. Spot any mistakes , please let me know and I will do my best to sort 'em out. Happy reading

**Sasuke**

Uchiha Sasuke sat on top of a gigantic skeletal structure facing a massive wall that stretched expansively around him. There were various and random openings spread haphazardly on the wall; entrances to the maze-like catacombs that made up Madara and the surviving members of Akatsuki's hideout.

However, the boy's attention and interest were neither to the massive wall nor its varying access points. Leaning back on the palms of his hands, his knees raised and feet flat on the spine of the structure, he stared absently at the pregnant moon shining brightly above him, a contemplative look pasted on his pale face. Although he looked completely absorbed in his thoughts, he noticed a slight movement from behind, a sign of someone approaching him despite the fact that the new arrival had made no sound.

Ninjas were naturally suspicious people, always ready for an ambush or vice-versa. As a ninja, one never let their guard down in case of an enemy attack and although the one who approached him was an enemy, he wasn't particularly bothered by it, choosing instead, to completely ignore him. He neither moved nor showed any sign of acknowledgement, even though the new arrival knew he'd been detected.

"What are you doing ?" asked the the deep monotonous voice he'd come to associate with Madara , " The preparations are already complete" he added, as he moved nearer to the seated youth.

The dark haired boy smirked slightly at the statement but continued to ignored the much older man, who now stood next to where he sat. Despite Madara's revelations, Sasuke did not fully trust the man and couldn't bring himself to care for the other man's plans. He simply refused to be a pawn for another deranged lunatic like he'd been for Orochimaru .Therefore he focused on staring at the moon in silence. Madara followed Sasuke's gaze to the big ball of luminous light that shone in the otherwise dark and starless sky. It was a magnificent sight to behold , the masked man thought to himself. He understood perfectly, Sasuke's trance-like fascination for the glowing orb, as he too sensed the sheer hypnotic power it exuded.

It was as if Sasuke intrinsically knew what he had planned for the future. If he did, Madara would not be surprised, he mused with a chuckle . The kid was an Uchiha after all and a worthy one to boot. However it was not the time to be drawn into leisurely thoughts, so he turned to repeat what he'd just said but before he could, Sasuke spoke , cutting him off "When I look at the full moon, I have memories of that night," he started, with a dead tone to his voice that complimented the small cold and mirthless smile which played on his face, "As well as..." He hesitated, turning to Madara, staring into his masked face with dead dull eyes. Although Madara was the only one, between the two, wearing a mask , the lack of expression on Sasuke's exquisitely handsome alabaster features, reminded him of  a mask.

And though Sasuke did not wear one, his hardened, inexpressive face had become a mask, hiding whatever deep dark secrets and thoughts he did not want to share with the rest of the world. Masks were a generic trait in the Uchiha , Madara concluded with an amused chuckle to himself . He did not, however, say anything turning his gaze back to the sky, sensing that the boy had more to say "...the memories I tried so hard to forget," Sasuke continued, still staring at Madara although his focus had shifted, as if Madara wasn't there and he was talking to someone else,

"...I can remember things about Itachi...faint and fleeing memories surfacing from deep inside my heart." Sasuke's voice trailed off as he sank deep into his memories , back to that fateful night where he had lost everything. He remembered facing his brother in the main street of the Uchiha complex. Fear, despair, betrayal wrecked his little body, the emotions so strong they'd almost choked him. He stood there panting and gasping as he stared into the cold dark eyes of his brother. There'd also been a desperate need...a need to understand why his brother had done something so horrific...a need to understand why a brother who'd been so loving to him and his parents , could've killed them in such a gruesome manner... a need to understand why he, Itachi, the Uchiha's most accomplished prodigy had had to stoop so low as to commit genocide "...Run, and keep running " Itachi had said with a snarl , his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, red and bleeding , "Cling to your pitiful life. And one day when you have eyes like mine, come before me!".

He remembered chasing after Itachi attacking him with anything he could find, rocks, stones, shuriken and kunai knives that had buried themselves in the walls as their owners had tried, in vain, to defend themselves against impending doom.

His brother had been too strong for him and had swatted away his feeble attacks with simple ease. Despite his weakness Sasuke managed to knock Itachi's forehead protector from his head. Sasuke had felt his energy suddenly give and he collapsed onto his knees, his hands flat on the ground supporting and struggling to keep him up. Standing a few feet away from him, Itachi bent to pick up his forehead protector and placed it back on his head. Turning to look at his younger brother for the last time, a tear fell from his eye; before he turned away and vanished into thin air.

The sudden insight gained, induced by the memory of that particular moment, shook him with surprise and an intense feeling of agony. In all the years he'd re-lived the memory of that night to fuel his determination for revenge, he had failed to notice two minor but crucial details his young mind had witnessed and stored in the back of his mind.

It all made sense to him now, he thought to himself disdainfully. He knew then, for certain, that Madara had not lied. Itachi had bent to pick up his forehead protector...Itachi had cried... Sasuke had been quite young and exhausted back then but the details were still clearly etched in his mind.

A ninja who had betrayed his village had no need for his forehead protector. The fact that Itachi had put his back on, only confirmed the truth that Madara had told him. Itachi had not betrayed his village, but had proven his loyalty to it by slaying his own clan. The reason Sasuke was even alive was that in exchange for his brother's life Itachi had himself declared a traitor to keep his mission for the elders of Konoha a secret.

Konoha was the reason his clan was dead! Konoha was the reason his parents were dead! Konoha was the reason he had killed his brother with his own two hands . FUCKING Konoha was the reason he was all alone! Sasuke slowly shifted his body into a meditative stance crossing his legs and folding them beneath his bottom. His red eyes narrowed as he tilted his head to glare intensely at the moon , his pale hands shaking with indescribable fury.

Sasuke swore to himself as an Uchiha and an avenger that he would destroy Konoha if it was the last thing he'd ever do. Sensing the change in Sasuke disposition, Madara turned to head back into the catacombs. He had a good feeling his night was only going to get better.

"What will you do?' asked the masked man when they'd all assembled in one of the caves that served as a conference room... 'Will you join Akatsuki?"

"" No. Taka's goal now is to destroy Konoha"

The masked man was no happy with the response, but he kept his peace.

He would bide his time

" You can say what you want but how do you plan on destroying Konoha?"

"How I go about my business does not concern you, but if you must know ...I have a plan"

 

_Two weeks later..._

 

**Konoha**

Naruto had hardly slept a wink the previous night and it was way before daybreak when he'd leapt out of his bed , knowing full well that there was no chance of him ever going back to sleep. The young blond decided that he would get himself ready, instead, for when Sakura came to pick him up .

Knowing Sakura, Naruto figured she'd have spent a restless night pacing back and forth in her room, replaying the recent news they'd received over and over in her mind and hardly getting any sleep at all. Not that he would blame her if she hadcause he'd felt the same way, if his sleep deprived baggy eyes were anything to go by .

He found it difficult to dress, struggling to zip up his black and orange tracksuit jumper over his black t-shirt and protective wire mesh vest, his fingers shaking from barely contained excitement .

How he'd got bottoms and sandals on was still a mystery to him.

The day had finally arrived...

...the day that he and Sakura's had prayed for, for three long years.

The day their greatest wish would come true.

Sasuke was coming back home...

Sasuke was coming back home to Konoha and Naruto'd never ever let him leave again, Naruto swore to himself vehemently . Mind you, it was still quite hard to grasp that their long search had finally come to and end.

Naruto chuckled as he remembered the day he first heard the news...

 

**_(Flashback)_ **

_Three days earlier_

_Naruto-6 ... Konohamaru- 3_

_" Ne, Naruto-niichan... just how DO you do it?" asked an amazed Konohamaru, at he assessed the level of damage his latest bout with Naruto had caused._

_All together, twelve victims lay sprawled on the ground, passed out from extreme blood loss . Arms raised, hands clasped behind his head, Naruto 's eyes followed Konohamaru's gaze, admiring the beauty or in this case, the bloody result of their battle._

_A smug goofy grin grew, almost splitting his golden tanned face in half , his cerulean eyes dancing in merriment and with ill concealed mirth. He had excelled himself this time, he thought, and so had his protégée (though he wouldn't let the boy know, least he got a big head) ._

_And people said his Oroike no Jutsu was a dud!_

_" That should teach ya to mess with me gaki! You're thousand years too early to be challenging me 'tebayo"_

_Konohamaru pouted at that._

_"We'll I almost had you, kore. Until you pulled that weird thing with the two girls, limbs all tangled up, " he said crossly, " mind you, one of your clones was even doing a head stand ! I didn't even know that people could even bend that way, kore!"._

_Naruto laughed at that ._

_"Weeeell, when you travel with someone who was  as pervy as Ero-Sennin for three years, you see lotsa weird things an' stuff that's a whole lot crazier than ' **The Head Game** '*. An' trust me, some of the stuff I saw when we were doin' 'research' , had me sufferin' from cold sweats for a month, dattebayo!" he replied with a massive grin and a wink_

_The younger boy gave Naruto a look that seemed a cross between shock, wonder and pity. Everyone in the village knew that Jiraiya, the Gama Sennin* and one third of the 'Densetsu no Sannin' *, had been a massive pervert who used research for his popular erotic Icha Icha series novels, as an excuse to peek at naked women in hot springs or, simply as a way to unabashedly indulge in various acts of debauchery._

_Konohamaru could only but imagine the weird stuff Naruto had been exposed to during his travels with the sage. His body gave an involuntary shudder, as the thought sent shivers down his spine._

_No wonder he couldn't beat Naruto when it came to Sexy no Jutsu. His mind was too corrupt._

_"Come on," Naruto interrupted his thoughts, as he swung an arm round Konohamaru's shoulder, "remember, the loser buys the other Ichiraku's ramen," the blonde added , turning the younger boy around and leading him towards the busy village centre and Ichiraku's ramen stand._

_"Yeah I know, I know" mumbled Konohamaru, as both he and Naruto gingerly stepped over the bodies of the pervy men they'd knocked out with their jutsu._

_Damn, Konohamaru swore to himself. His loss was going to cost him at least four D rank missions' worth of money._

_When it came to Ichiraku's ramen, Naruto ate the equivalent of four pregnant women!_

_His mother was definitely going to kill him, he sighed._

_Strutting beside him, Naruto hummed a cheery tune, buzzing with anticipation at the thought of eating ramen. Glancing at the giddy blond, Konohamaru rolled his eyes. For a genius (that is according to Konohamaru, mind), Naruto-niichan was pretty predictable._

_"OI NARUTOOOOOO...!!"_

_Shikamaru stood in front of Ichiraku's, waiving frantically at the two boys, who seeing his animated state, quickened their pace to meet him. Something serious had happened, Naruto feared , his heart pounding with trepidation._

_The act of breathing, alone, for Nara Shikamaru was troublesome, let alone shouting and waiving like a lunatic. One quick glance at Konohamaru's face showed the younger boy shared the same opinion. Something had to have gone wrong to make Shikamaru this agitated. When they reached him, the expression on Shikamaru's face only served to rattle Naruto and his companion more ._

_For the first time in his life, Shikamaru looked lost._

_Like he didn't quite understand what was going on and Shikamaru was one of the cleverest people Naruto knew and that scared him._

_'Ne, Shikamaru, what's wrong" Naruto asked, his voice shaking despite himself._

_Shikamaru did not answer immediately. He looked at Naruto as if trying to read something in his eyes. Naruto exchanged a quizzical glance with Konohamaru, who shrugged , clearly baffled by Shikamaru's weird behaviour._

_For someone who'd only been waiving at them frantically and screaming Naruto's name a few seconds earlier, his silence now, did not make sense to both of them. Naruto was starting to get very tetchy and he didn't like it._

_'Ne Shikamaru 'teba...' he started again, intending to get to the bottom of it, but before he could, Shikamaru cut him off, finally speaking, though his eyes kept searching for something in Naruto's eyes_

_"Naruto... Godaime wants you in her office as soon as possible"_

_"What for? " the blond asked, not sure whether to relax or tense._

_A visit to Tsunade-baba's office did not necessarily mean bad news ._

_Shikamaru hesitated , clearly debating whether or not to say anything to Naruto. He had not been given instructions to keep information from him, but knowing Naruto's impulsive and impatient nature he was not sure telling him was the greatest course of action._

_Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion at Shikamaru's hesitation and Konohamaru looked on curiously from one boy to the other. Why not let the hokage handle it, Shikamaru finally decided. It was her job after all. Shikamaru's tensed body visibly relaxed when he concluded that this was someone else's problem , namely the Godaime's, and not his_

_"You'll find out soon enough when you get there. Now hurry up we don't want to keep her waitin. You know what she's like when people are late" his voice back to its usual lazy drawl._

_With that Shikamaru nodded goodbye to Konohamaru and turned to to head back towards the Hokage tower. Naruto bid Konohamaru a quick farewell to Konohamaru , all thoughts of ramen gone, to follow speedily after Shikamaru, whilst the latter rushed to find his two companions to inform them of a possible scoop for the Konoha Monthly Chronicle._

_**Hokage Tower** _

_"TSUNADE OBAACHAAAAAN!!"_

_Tsunade winced when she heard her door bang loudly against the wall as it was forcibly pushed open. Only one person had the insolence to act in such a barbaric manner and he was at that very moment marching into her office, screaming her name at the top of his lungs. Shikamaru casually followed behind him, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. The damn smug little bastard ._

_She could feel a headache coming on as she shifted slightly in her seat,located behind her big desk covered in towering paperwork . Lord, did she desperately need a large bottle of sake for what was to come ._

_Naruto was pissed. Shikamaru had refused to tell him what was going on , although he'd pleaded with him all the way to the tower. Well if he wasn't talking , he was just going to have to ask the old hag._

_Naruto noticed, as he'd burst into the Hokage's office, screaming Tsunade's name, that Sakura, Yamato taichou, Sai, Jiraiya and Kakashi sensei were already present. One look at Sakura and the next words died on his lips, his previous feeling of trepidation returning in their stead._

_The pink haired girl looked weak and pale, her face a blank and emotionless slate. She was being held up by an equally pale Sai, though with the latter Naruto had to wonder if his paleness was due to the news they'd just received, like Sakura, or just a natural state of being._

_One quick look around the room at everyone else's expressions, and Naruto suddenly felt very scared ._

_"Oi you old hag" Naruto aimed for normal banter , though his stomach felt heavy and knotted with anxiety, " what the hell ya call me here for? I missed out on my ramen" he added as he strolled towards Tsunade's desk "an' everyone here's actin' like somebody died or somethin' dattebayo "_

_Tsunade sighed._

_Naruto winced_

_"Naruto, there no easy way for me to say this but I'm just going to come out and say it. Is that okay with you?" she started somberly /_

_Naruto nodded his assent fiercely, though he did not feel as confident_

_"Go ahead tebayo, you know I can handle anything you throw at me" he answered with a huge grin on his face, hand scratching the back of his head._

_Inside he was quivering and he could hardly keep his knees from knocking._

_"The ANBU have captured Uchiha Sasuke. They'll be bringing him in the day after tomorrow"_

_Pause._

_Confusion..._

_"Come again?"_

_"Naruto, Sasuke is coming home" Kakashi reaffirmed, moving from where he was stationed, at window behind the hokage, towards the young blonde. Naruto felt the room starting to spin and everyone's faces were blurring in and out of focus._

_Suddenly Naruto's legs buckled beneath him._

_"NARUTO!"_

_And then there was nothing..._

**_Present_ **

A knock on the door jolted Naruto out of his trip down memory lane. He shuddered at the the thought of him fainting in Tsunade's office.

So embarrassing.

It was bad enough that Sai , Shikamaru and even Sakura had seen him faint like a little girl. If Sasuke ever found out he'd never hear the end of it. The raven haired would end up call him a 'dobe' and 'usuratonkachi' all over again.

Or even worse...Naruto-chan.

Naruto grimaced at the thought.

No way in hell would he let Sasuke call him that!

Ah...Sasuke...

Thinking of Sasuke made Naruto happy .

It was only when the knock on the door became pounding followed by Sakura's threats to leaving him behind did Naruto remember he was meant to be in a hurry. Yelling a 'Coming Sakura-chan', Naruto quickly fastened on his forehead protector, grabbed his keys and green gama purse, hoping to buy something to eat on the way to the village gate, having missed breakfast.

Risking one last look at team 7's group photo on his bedsite table, Naruto ran to open the door to insults from an impatient Sakura and annoying silence from an expressionless Sai.

However nothing could bring him down cause Sasuke was **_FINALLY_**   coming home...


	3. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke is back!

 

**Konoha**

He was finally back...

As Konoha's impressive walls and gates came within sight of Sasuke and his four ANBU guards , his eyes were instinctively drawn to the bright orange clad, blond haired boy who stood out from a small crowd gathered by the gates.

Although he was still too far away to see his face or those of his companions, Sasuke knew the dobe most likely had a goofy grin on his face.

Dobe...

He hadn't called anyone dobe in such a long time, he thought to himself in amusement, a small smirk forming on his face.

A warm feeling spread throughout his body...

And then he sensed someone watching him and turned to only realise, too late, that one of his ANBU guards, a female whose face was hidden behind a cat's mask, was staring at him curiously. Sasuke inwardly berated himself for letting his guard down, forgetting himself and where he was. He immediately hardened his face, putting on his usual impassive and arrogant expression and then proceeded to ignore the ANBU.

Damn that usuratonkachi.

The idiot always found a way to invade his thoughts, especially now he'd seen him - and it annoyed Sasuke immensely. He couldn't afford to get distracted... especially by that half wit! The woman, who he guessed to be quite young, perhaps two or thee years older than him ( _which he grudgingly acknowledged ,since it was not an easy feat for someone so young to attain ANBU status_ ), continued to stare at him for a while but quickly gave up when he remained impassive.

ANBU or not, that's all you're going to get, he thought smugly.

They soon drew up to the village gates and Sasuke realised, to his astonishment, though he remembered to keep his stolid expression in place, that quite a few more people than he'd anticipated had turned up for his homecoming.

He had expected members of his old genin team to be there, Sakura's tears and all... lord knows they'd chased after him relentlessly and long enough that he would have been astonished if they hadn't turned up...

...but the rest ?

Shikamaru , Chouji, Kiiba, Shino and the weird blonde girl who used to follow him with Sakura everywhere he went and whose name he couldn't place were all there...as well as Lee, Ten-ten and the Hyuuga, Neji, who had all been his senpais at the Academy.

Even the Hyuuga girl- Hinata had come, though he knew he'd never spoken to her before.

There was an undercurrent of animosity coming from that group, which he'd expected- and frankly he didn't care about; therefore he couldn't understand why they'd bothered to come in the first place.

He definitely wouldn't have if the roles had been reversed .

It's not like he'd ever been very friendly with any of them to begin with . His mild astonishment, however, did not overshadow the vast emotions that instantly tore through his being , when his cold hard black eyes met dazzling blue ones.

Sasuke could almost swear he'd sensed something akin to an electric current pass between them as their eyes locked together. The unconcealed joy and questions in those innocent and naïve sky blue orbs threatened to break down his resolve

The intensity of those feelings had him immediately look away from Naruto and the group that now stood beside his, resorting to staring ahead as they stood by the gates and two of his guards left to sign them in.

"Sasukeeee ..."

The happy cry made Sasuke wince and his heart race...

...and it disgusted him.

Not even two seconds into the dobe's company and he was already jumpy and he couldn't understand why.

He did not respond

"Sasuke teba!"

This time he could hear the shuffling of feet and the crunch of gravel as the owner of the voice rushed towards Sasuke and his group. The Uchiha had to fight the urge to turn towards the sounds and Naruto, as something unidentifiable screamed for him to do so.

He did not turn, however, resolved to stoically staring ahead ; he was a man a mission and he'd be damned if he let something as trivial as emotions get in the way. Soon enough Naruto stood before him and Sasuke felt something in his chest clench.

The blond's eyes were watery with what Sasuke suspected were tears, only held back back by Naruto's sheer determination not to cry in front of his peers . The expression on Naruto's face vaguely reminded Sasuke of their first high ranked mission, in the Land of Waves, when Naruto had bawled his eyes out to having to say goodbye to Inari.

Whilst it had amused Sasuke to no ends at that time, this time it made him uncomfortable. For some unknown reason he didn't like to see Naruto cry, especially when he knew he was the one who caused it. He could not look away from Naruto's gaze, even when Sakura, Kakashi and another dark haired boy joined them.

"Sasuke..?"

Naruto started again, his voice cracked with so much emotion and his watery eyes swimming... full of questions he could not and would not answer.

Sakura wore a puzzled countenance as she looked from one boy to the other as they stared each other down, whilst Kakashi and Sai's expressions remained unreadable as usual.

No one else, including Sasuke's ANBU guards, said anything as everyone watched the interaction between Sasuke and Naruto intently. They seemed to be waiting for something and no one knew exactly what . The blond opened his again mouth as if to say something else but hesitated when the other two ANBU, having finished signing in, rejoined the group- almost to Sasuke's relief

"Uchiha-san it's time to go meet the Hokage", said the taller of the said ANBU pair.

Sasuke tore his gaze away from the Naruto's now pleading one, and forced himself to move forward and away from the blonde.

"Sasuke-kun.."

"Teme..."

Both Sakura and Naruto called out and made to stop him but a slight hiss of warning from Kakashi stopped them, and Sasuke carried on walking, not looking back even once.

He was glad to get away...away from the questioning eyes , the scrutiny and animosity he felt from some of his peers

But somehow when he walked away from Naruto, his chest tightened...

 

Seeing his retreating back, Naruto almost ran after Sasuke.

It was just like the nightmares he'd been having for the past three years. Always he saw Sasuke's back- always Naruto ran after him but he could never catch up- and it was happening all over again. But before he could move, he felt a strong grip on his shoulder.

He turned to look up to the soft kind eye of the copy ninja. He blinked in surprise, as he registered that there were other people there with him. The moment he'd seen Sasuke arrive, everyone else had ceased to exist for him, which made him feel sheepish when he saw the concerned looks on his friends' faces when they moved in closer to where team seven now stood alone, after Sasuke and his entourage's departure.

"Give him time Naruto" advised Kakashi, in a soft reassuring voice, different to his usually sardonic drawl, as he gave the boy an encouraging squeeze, "Sasuke is not going anywhere and they'll be plenty of time for answers."

Naruto knew he was right, but couldn't keep the panicky feeling that Sasuke was going to leave from welling up inside of him. Still he nodded his acquiescence and forcefully tried to pull himself together.

He turned to his right, to a sniffling Sakura and held both her shoulders in his his hands in a strong but gentle grasp , crouching slightly to bring himself to her eye level and forcing her to look at him. He could read the mixed emotions in her eyes that mirrored his own- delight, confusion, anger,fear, disbelief and wonder- at the thought of Sasuke back in the village.

He gave her one of his brightest and most dazzling smiles that lit up his face like the golden sun, taking Sakura and everyone else around them, momentarily, aback

"It's over Sakura-chan...he's home now"

As the reality sunk in for Sakura,  Naruto  himself, was rewarded with Sakura's own dazzling smile before she launched herself into his arms... crying and laughing with complete and utter joy .

Soon Naruto joined her , hugging and laughing whilst their friends looked on with a mixture of emotions.

 

**Hokage Rower**

Tsunade studied the young man who stood before her in her office, flanked by two ANBU guards on each side.

So this was the boy that had had Naruto and Sakura in a tizzy for the past three years.

He was an extremely good-looking lad, she assented begrudgingly, to herself and  she could see how Sakura and the rest of her protégé's female peers had fallen truly, madly and deeply in love with him.

He had an unblemished milky white complexion that was the envy of many a damsels, a face chiselled to perfection and the body of a god that was clad in a long sleeved white shirt tantalisingly opened all the way down to his navel.

The boy was the definition of sex on legs.

No wonder half of Konoha's female population had gone into mourning at his defection , she thought with a smirk

It was his onyx eyes, though, that both fascinated and repulsed Tsunade. When she looked into his eyes she couldn't help but shiver slightly from what she saw there.

His eyes were cold and hard but what frightened her the most was that they reflected nothing.

They were dead and empty... It was like staring into an abyss and that chilled her to the bone.

Somehow Tsunade couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss but couldn't quite place a finger on it.

However, she knew that this one needed to be kept an eye on and that the following weeks if not months were going to very difficult

Little did she know how right she was...

 

**Uzumaki Residence**

Onyx eyes scanned their surroundings in disgust and disdain.

To say Sasuke was nonplussed and more than a little bit miffed to be standing in Uzumaki Naruto's living room cum dining room cum kitchenette was a gross understatement.

He was most put out.

This was the last place he wanted to be- for many reasons especially emotionally, mentally and hygienically -as a big fat roach crawled over his foot and into a dirty ramen pot that lay on the rubbish littered floor. He knew he shouldn't and couldn't be here and – if it he was truly honest with himself-what worried him the most was that deep down he knew it wasn't the filthy state of Naruto's apartment that had him worried ( _he was a bit of a neat freak_ ) but Naruto himself and he couldn't figure out why.

He had acknowledged that out of everyone he'd encountered since the day he lost his family, Naruto had been the only one to really touch him deep down and he'd quickly, and reluctantly on Sasuke part, become Sasuke's closest person and greatest rival. The blonde boy had understood the meaning of true loneliness and had shared some of Sasuke's pain.

But that had been a long time ago and Sasuke had believed that he'd put that time in his life behind him- but much to his astonishment and annoyance, his reactions to Naruto earlier had him questioning the validity of that assumption.

He had hoped to find some quiet time , perhaps in his prison cell, to think about it and make sense of everything before he had to meet the blonde again. In addition he knew he'd soon be put on trial before the council and elders of Konoha and he really needed to be on form, mentally and emotionally, for what he knew was the first crucial point in his plan

Unfortunately , the Hokage had had a different idea. After hearing the testimony of one of the ANBU, the tall one who'd spoken to him at the gate earlier that day and was clearly the captain, on how Sasuke had voluntarily handed himself in, contrary to popular belief that he'd been captured ( _as if_ )- Tsunade had , ironically, decided to reward him by ordering him stay with his 'closest friend' , as she had put it, instead of a prison cell; albeit with double the ANBU guard, considering he was a dangerous convict.

Tsunade had been shocked and almost relieved to see a range of emotions play on the stoic young man's face when she had given that order, strengthening her belief that her decision had been the right one.

To be honest, Tsunade had, as a last ditch attempt to try and glean some emotional response from and understand Sasuke, decided to send him to Naruto. If anyone could draw emotions out of a stone it was Naruto!

In addition Naruto and Sasuke had history and unfinished business to sort out and she knew Naruto desperately wanted to see Sasuke, and she wasn't above using her position as hokage to make sure her favourite blonde baka had his wish. Naruto was the nearest thing to family Tsunade had left.

Gauging Sasuke's reactions to her order and witnessing his internal struggle as he tried to keep his feelings in check and maintain his Uchiha countenance, Tsunade's had felt a heavy weight lift from her ample bosom.

Yes...

Sasuke staying with Naruto was the best solution.

Now he found himself in Naruto's apartment with the said blonde bent over in front of him, flustering about in a pathetic attempt to tidy up as he picked random bits of garbage and clothing on the floor and stuffing them in a big black bin bag. Sasuke had not and refused to move from the spot Kakashi had left him, when the latter had escorted him to Naruto's apartment.

He was grateful that his former teacher had not felt the need to talk, so they'd both made their way to the dobe's place in silence. Even when they'd arrived , Kakashi had not felt the need to stay and had merely nodded his goodbye to Sasuke before he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Apart from the ANBU guards, that were now stationed around the perimeter of Naruto's apartment, and Kakashi of course, it was a secret to all that Sasuke was to stay at Naruto's and if it had been different circumstances, Sasuke would have been amused at the gob-smacked, ramen drooling reaction Naruto had had when he'd answered the door.

Seeing that his cleaning was not getting anywhere, Naruto decided to abandon it all together and resorted to stealing shy glances at Sasuke , who still stood rigidly in the middle of the room scowling at the wall facing him and arms crossed over his chest, whilst pretending to straighten out the cushions on his sofa.

Upon intervals he'd stop as if he wanted to say something, but would catch himself and continue with his pretend fluffing.

It was beginning to wear on the raven's already thin nerves and after one particularly long pause in which he knew the dobe was staring at him, Sasuke turned to face him sharply

"What?!" he snapped irritably

Blushing furiously at being caught staring , Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly

"Er... w-would ya … er..." he stammered shyly, squirming under Sasuke's intense glare

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in impatience.

Since when did Naruto blush and stutter?

Noticing Sasuke's growing annoyance, Naruto forced himself to speak once again , a little bit puzzled by why he was behaving like Hinata

" W-would you...er like something to drink...? "

Sasuke's s gaze turned to the suspicious looking kitchen. As if reading the hesitation in his eyes, Naruto quickly interjected

" I do have clean glasses and cups-"

At Sasuke's sardonically raised eyebrow and to the raven haired boy's amusement, Naruto had the decency to blush sheepishly when he followed Sasuke's gaze to his overflowing sink.

"I wasn't expectin' company so I didn't tidy up... but I do have clean glasses" he pouted slightly as he made his way to the kitchen and opened a cupboard that indeed had clean mugs and glasses, "so what do ya want to have?"

"Nothing" came the curt reply

All Sasuke wanted was to be left alone.

"That's not an option teme" shouted Naruto, finally fed up with Sasuke's cool demeanour, startling the raven momentarily out of his stolidity, clearly not expecting the sudden outburst , especially from the blushing and stuttering Naruto.

He turned towards the kitchen, only for his eyes to meet blazing blue ones that were clearly raring for a fight .

Feeling his energy drain , Sasuke decided to let this one go. He'd had a long journey and was exhausted therefore he was not going to waste his strength arguing with the blonde idiot over whether he wanted a drink or not.

Besides, it was also beneath his Uchiha dignityto do so. So with a resigned sigh he asked for whatever the blonde had available. To his surprise and what suspiciously felt like pleasure, though he would emphatically deny it, Naruto gave him one of the most brilliant and blinding smiles ever. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of his being, Sasuke was almost glad he'd conceded to the brash blonde's whim.

"Why don't you sit down and make y'self comfortable" Naruto called out from the kitchen and Sasuke found himself twirling about the room in exasperation then resorting to sitting on the old worn sofa that Naruto had patially cleared , it being the only place in the dump of an apartment that looked safe enough to sit. I

f he was ever going to stay here longer, there were definitely going to be some changes!!

 

A month later, Naruto would agree that what he'd done at that moment in time had not been one of his cleverest ideas ( n _ot that he had ever been accused of having many clever ideas in his entire life_ ). However at that moment in time , Naruto , never really being a patient one , had been so desperate for answers from his closest friend  and rival- wanting to to crack the impenetrable , hard cold wall that Sasuke had put up about him. - that he did the only thing he could think of.

He spiked Sasuke's drink.

When he thought of what the raven would do if he ever found out what he'd done, he shuddered . A vision of a chidori induced gaping hole in his chest made him wince.

However that did not diminish his determination. One way or another he and Sasuke were going to open up whether Sasuke liked it or not!

 

 

Sasuke felt funny.

The air was buzzing and he felt like he was flying.

Up in the air like a tiny little bird.

He took another sip of his drink -it was delicious- and turned to the blonde sitting beside him.

Damn was Naruto hot!

Three years had worked wonders on Naruto and it felt like it was the first time Sasuke was truly seeing the blonde, although he'd met at him at Orochimaru's hideout a few months prior.

His face had thinned with age, his jaws more defined and solid. Gone were the chubbiness and cuteness of youth, replaced by the chiselled good looks, hard and defined lines of mid-adolescence.

Naruto had grown to be quite handsome indeed.

His wild gilded, sun kissed locks were slightly longer, some spilling over his eyes, glistening in the fading sunlight like spun silk. Naruto had taken his jacket off and the Uchiha swallowed hard, when he saw his lean well defined torso underneath his black t-shirt .

Something in his gut clenched and he quickly averted his eyes back to Naruto's face when he sensed his eyes begin to travel further down Naruto's body  to unsafe areas.

But it were his eyes, Sasuke thought that were unchanged and also the most striking of Naruto's features.

Those big round long lashed cerulean orbs had the power to draw people, in as they were doing to him at that very moment – full of  strange form of innocence, naivety and purity  he could not explain . He was trapped and he couldn't look away

"So beautiful..." he slurred , as he reached out to touch Naruto's face.

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise as the raven boy lurched towards him. Maybe his plan had worked a little bit to well. He had wanted to loosen the Uchiha up not render him totally stupid and incoherent

"Ano... teme... are ya alright?" he reached forward and brushed Sasuke's bangs out of his face to look into his glazed eyes with one hand as the other steadied him from falling face down onto Naruto's lap.

Maybe it should've been  one teaspoon instead of the table spoon of powder in the drink he had given Sasuke, he thought with horror.

He was further horrified when Sasuke hiccuped and let out a strange giggle (s _trange in the sense that Sasuke , an Uchiha, had giggled in the first place_ ). Naruto was so lost in shock that he did not notice when Sasuke stopped giggling and his body stiffened, a dangerous glint starting to grow in his eyes.

It was only when the world begun to spin and he found himself on his back on the floor, his body pinned down by Sasuke's and both his hands imprisoned in a tight clutch above his head. He looked up in confusion and gasped in shock as his eyes met onyx eyes darker than night, hungry and full of a need so raw it was breathtaking.

Sasuke looked like he was about to ravish him and astonishingly enough, instead of fear Naruto felt a tingle of excitement build up inside him.

"Sasuke...?" he gasped in a cracked voice, weak with anticipation and his own surging feelings.

Gone were any thoughts of having a discussion, of rebuilding bonds. All that was left was an aching desire for the raven that hovered above him ...

A desire so sudden and so strong that he found it hard to breathe.

Where their bodies connected , Naruto felt like he was on fire and a powerful need to touch grew in him so much that he let out a whimper, so alien to him that it took him by surprise. Sasuke seemed taken aback by the whimper, but as the blonde beneath him began to squirm impatiently a sly grin grew on his face.

Naruto 's molten eyes read desire that equalled his own and any caution  he might have had about his next course of action was thrown out of the window.

"Naruto" Sasuke growled, making Naruto shiver.

Sasuke caught his reaction, and he chuckled in a deep husky voice that threatened to send Naruto over the edge. Sasuke leaned in towards Naruto as the blonde raised his head to meet his.

Their lips met with a crushing force, teeth clashing , lips bruising and tongues invading and probing new territories. Both boys fought for dominance as their tongues duelled and their bodies and limbs intertwined, desperately clinging to each other, and rolling all over the messy floor.

Sasuke regained his position as Naruto conceded to him body and spirit. He didn't really care  who was dominant as long as Sasuke kept kissing and touching him. Clothes flew off so rapidly that within seconds they were both  bare, connected skin to skin, from head to toe.

Under Sasuke's passionate yet tender ministrations, Naruto was soon soaring through the throes of passion, clinging tightly to Sasuke as he went over the edge- Sasuke joining him soon after, filling him with his essence.

Naruto felt like a fire had exploded inside of him at that moment deep within his core but soon all was forgotten as he rode the current of the pleasurable afterglow of their coupling. Naruto felt so full and content, after, as he found himself nestled in Sasuke's strong arms- the raven's long beautiful callused finger tenderly stroking his hair.

His face lay on Sasuke's broad chest and he could hear the gentle rhythm of his heart beat and feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing, so steady and sure. Soon enough he felt his eyes close to the sweet lull of sleep and the last thought he had before darkness called was how truly happy he was... tbc ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not confident in writing smexy times so I went for the fluffy angle. Will try to in the future once I get over my bashfulness at the thought of yours truly writing smut! *flail*


	4. Morning shock not the only trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's reaction after spending the night with Naruto and his trial begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this is an AU fic there are gonna be some inconsistencies in timelines, events etc...  
>  However for your info, Pain has already attacked Konoha but Madara (Tobi) has yet to declare war on the Shinobi . Tsunade recovered before Danzou became the next hokage, with the latter still alive. Most of Konoha has been rebuilt. I hope this clears any confusion anyone gets when reading this next chapter. If you notice anything out of sync or a loophole, drop me a line and i'll try and rectify it.
> 
> Ps: I dont know much about Law and its procedures and I know I should research but who has time in this day and age? So Sasuke's trial is probably not going to be well writ and will be my own interpretation of law procedure (Lord-help-us-all!) so if it manages to rub you the wrong way just skip or bear with it! Soz in advance
> 
> Pps: Unbetae'd work, and we all know what that means

__

_**Naruto's Apartment** _

__

Sasuke woke up with a start and knew immediately that something was wrong.

His head felt fuzzy- which to an Uchiha was never a good thing - a dull throb thrumming against the back of his eye balls.

He tried to lift his right arm with the intention of rubbing his temple, to sooth and clear his mind from the irritating headache that was now escalating from a dull throb to needle sharp stabbing pain, only to find it was trapped under something warm and felt remarkably like...

No, that was ridiculous, he thought in a mild panic ...it couldn't be that now...could it?

His eyes opened instantly, wincing slightly at the pain caused by the small amount of moonlight that streamed through one of the partially covered windows above him , situated on the left wall of the somewhat familiar room he now found himself in.

Sasuke shifted a little and to his alarm,  felt something heavy on his chest.

A quiet moan followed , coming from the said weight on his chest, at the sudden movement he'd made, and he felt something or rather.. someone... nestle into his side, an arm circling his waist and squeezing him closer.

Now, more panicked than he'd been when he first woke up, Sasuke immediately looked down, only to see a mop of more than usual dishevelled golden hair and Naruto's peaceful sleeping face.

Kamisama … this could not be happening!

He stifled a loud groan of horror as it suddenly hit him there and then that he and Naruto were both naked and the blond's body was half draped, or rather thrown, over his.

Events of what had happened suddenly came rushing into his head threatening to drive him insane.

To his dismay he realised he was in Naruto's apartment and...

 

...he and Naruto had just had **sex**!

 

He had jumped the dobe and had thoroughly ravished him!

 

What the hell...?

 

* * *

A wave of various inexplicable emotions hit him all at once and he suddenly wanted to get as far away from the other boy as possible **ESPECIALLY** before the  latter woke up and he, himself, went insane.

With a calmness he didn't feel, Sasuke managed to slowly and gently lift Naruto's head from his chest and place it on the carpeted floor on which they both lay.

In the same manner he pried Naruto's arm from his waist placing it next to the blond's head, then endeavoured to extricate himself from the rest of the boy's hold , slowly shifting his own body backwards and away from Naruto.

Sasuke froze as Naruto's eyes suddenly fluttered, his face twisting into a slight frown at the loss of Sasuke's hold and warm body.

However , much to Sasuke's relief, the younger boy did not awaken but, instead, turned onto his side and shifted his body into a foetal position, his face nestling into one of his palms, in an unconscious attempt to warm himself up.

Sasuke paused, as he took in the vulnerable image of the boy who lay on the floor and was suddenly hit by a sharp pain in his chest.

For at that moment Naruto had never seemed so delicate and fragile, despite his battle hardened and solid frame. He looked so beautiful- bathed in pale moonlight- so ethereal, that it took Sasuke 's breath away.

Naruto's blonde bangs had fallen across his golden tanned face – partially shielding the somewhat alluring face from it's beholder.

His chest rose up and down in a gentle rhythmn of one so deep in slumper; soft and cute whistle sounds emanating from him as he breathed out.

Sasuke could feel himself melt.

The Uchiha's eyes travelled along Naruto's curved golden body, drinking in the perfection of his built.

Naruto was somewhat on the lean side, though he was well sculpted due to his rigorous training and the many battles he had fought. His body was fautless, beautiful and it lay there open, welcoming and inviting-

Sasuke lifted his hand, could feel himself drawn as if he were hypnotised- reaching out wanting desperately to touch the boy, when suddenly Naruto let out a whimper and shiver...

Snap!

At the sound of Naruto shivering and whimpering, reality came crushing down heavily and Sasuke felt like cold water had been thrown over his head.

The horror of what he had done and what he was about to do again hit him so hard that he scrambled further away from the sleeping boy as if he was made of poison.

He hastily got up, grabbing a throw that lay atop the love-seat where all the chaos had begun and covered Naruto's shivering body. Naruto smiled appreciatively in his sleep and nestled himself further into the warmth of the throw.

Refusing to be distracted by the feelings invoked by the blond's unconscious actions, Sasuke quickly began to gather and put on his clothes; a task that was rather difficult to conduct considering  the moon was the only source of light; in addition to the fact that  said clothes had been strewn carelessly all over the place during his and Naruto's vigorous sex session.

All the time he was thinking that he had to get out.

He had to get away from the blond and he didn't care if they put him in prison or threatened to kill him, there was no way he was going to stay anywhere near the dobe.

No way!

When he was fully clothed, Sasuke made for the door with the full intention of leaving but when he reached it, he risked a look back to the boy that lay sleeping, half hidden in shadows, on the messy floor and he felt his chest tighten with such a pain he'd never imagined.

However, with his determination set, he rapidly turned away, quietly opened the door and walked out of the apartment and Naruto's life, slowly and softly closing the door behind him.

The moment he shut the door two ANBU and Kakashi swooped in and landed in front of him, the former in a fighting stance, weapons out and ready whilst the latter stood with his arms crossed against his chest.

He had expected that..

"Take me to the correctional facility now, Kakashi," he ordered, before any of them could say anything.

"That would be going against the Hokage's orders," replied Kakashi, in his usual bored drawl, not sounding a least bit surprised by the request. Sasuke somehow had the feeling the silver-haired jounin knew what had occurred between him and Naruto, and it did nothing to improve his already foul mood.

"I don't give a damn if it's the hokage's orders or not. It's either the facility or we fight, people die and I leave "

Although he spoke calmly and with his usual stoic , calm arrogance , Kakashi and the two ANBU who had relaxed their stance the moment they realised Sasuke wasn't going to try and escape, could sense the truth and menace inherent in the threat.

Not wanting to fight the Uchiha in a residential area , especially when he was not even sure he could win even with the ANBU's support, Kakashi conceded to the request.

He was pretty sure Godaime would forgive him this small act of insolence especially if it saved Konoha from certain destruction...again.

Rebuilding Konoha was hard the first time round...

"Okay, follow me"

And with that Kakashi, Sasuke and the two ANBU disappeared into the darkness

 

* * *

_**Three weeks later...** _

__

**The New Ichiraku's  
**

" Ne Naruto is it because today is Sasuke-kun's trial that you are so quiet ?" asked Sakura tensely as she, Naruto and Sai sat at Ichiraku's during lunch, having ramen.

An announcement had been given out the day before by the hokage confirming that Sasuke 's trial would be on the following day after lunch; and a verdict **would** be reached by the end of the trial; that is if the hokage had anything to say about it

The whole village was buzzing with gossip and talk about the up and coming trial, it being the biggest event since Pain's invasion of Konoha and subsequent defeat at the hands of the pariah turned hero known as Uzumaki Naruto.

Guesses an d bets  were being made on what the verdict would be.

Whilst most agreed that Sasuke would not be sentenced to death due to the fact that he was the last remaining Uchiha , thoughts on the type of punishment he'd receive varied – from life imprisonment, to sealing,binding, blinding etc etc...

Naruto, who usually gobbled at least three bowls of ramen within the first five minutes of arriving, was still on his first one, which he'd hardly touched.

He stared blankly down at his ramen bowl, his chopsticks pocking and swirling the now soggy noodles round and round the bowl .

Both Sai and Sakura watched him, worry written on their faces , knowing that something definitely troubled the blonde teen.

In fact since the day after Sasuke had arrived back in Konoha, both Sakura and Sai ,as well as his other friends, had noticed that Naruto begun to act strangely.

He was forever lost in own world and was eerily quiet, only speaking when spoken to, constantly walking around the village with a blank look on his face.

Most of his friends found themselves having to repeat themselves quite often when addressing him.

He no longer smiled as much as he usually did and during training he was constantly distracted, allowing for Sai and Sakura to get in hits they normally wouldn't make if he was on form.

Even when Sai made crude remarks about the size of his manhood , Naruto did not so much as flinch.

But most surprisingly to all was, whenever Sasuke's name was mentioned , the Naruto would stiffen instantly and a pained expression would etch itself upon his face.

The blond would then try to change the topic and divert the conversation to something else or leave the conversation citing an emergency or a suddenly remembered task he'd forgotten to do .

This behaviour puzzled everyone immensely , especially Sakura.

Everyone knew that she and Naruto had been desperate to get Sasuke back , but now that they had, Naruto was acting like he wasn't happy about it at all.

Sakura couldn't understand why and it hurt her a lot that Naruto was behaving in such a way.

After not getting a response from the blond, Sakura poked him in the ribs, hard, with her chopsticks

"Ow...tebayo'" Naruto cried , jumping at the pain and nearly spilling his ramen

"Oi...baka... I asked you a question" scolded the pink haired female, "and I expect it to be answered not ignored" she added exasperation lacing her voice.

"Well that's no reason ta skewer me Sakura-chan" complained Naruto with a pout, as he rubbed his sore side

'The lady has a point Naruto" Sai interjected as he set down his own chopsticks neatly , having finished his ramen, proceeding to nestle his chin on top of his laced fingers as he watched Sakura glare daggers at Naruto, "we have been talking to you for over ten minutes and all we seem to be getting are grunts and scary silence.

"That's hardly how you treat your friends now is it?"

Naruto sheepishly looked away from his team-mates' inquisitive and concerned eyes

"Sorry I was kinda distracted... have a lot going on in m'mind lately?"

"You have been distracted a lot lately. Is everything okay?" Sakura asked, her concern and worry returning, clearly displayed on her face whilst Sai silently looked on  though his expression mirrored Sakura's.

Unable to face his friends concern, Naruto kept his eyes averted, dodging their questioning gazes.

He feelt guilty for worrying them and especially feeling guilty towards Sakura for a whole other reason.

"It's nothing important s'all , you don't hafta worry 'bout it"

His assurance, however, seemed to have the opposite effect; it made a his friends worry even more.

Naruto had never been one to hold back his feelings, usually being the first to speak out when he was disgruntled about something or someone , so his friends,( _surprisingly even Sai who was inept at reading people_ ), could tell that something was troubling him especially now that he was trying and failing to hide it.

"We worry cause you 're no acting like yourself Naruto. You can tell me anything that's worrying you... you know that don't you ?" Sakura soothed, placing a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder

'Me too," added Sai with slight smile, "though I'm still new to the whole concept feelings and emotions"

At his friends' concern and support , Naruto smiled his first genuine smile in three weeks and gave Sakura's hand , which rested on his shoulder, a tight squeeze full of warmth and gratitude.

" I know ...and thank you but honestly, it's ain't somethin' I cant handle by m'self"

'I hope so" Sakura yielded with a sigh, clearly noting the deflection.

It was clear something big was bothering her friend but it was also obvious that he did not want to share. All she could do was wait until he felt comfortable enough to divulge whatever it was that was bothering him... cause tell her he would !

It was either that, or her name was not Haruno Sakura.

Besides, everyone knew Naruto could  never keep a secret from her .

He would tell eventually.

She smiled at Naruto and at Sai, feeling content with her boys.

The three team-mates continued to smile at each other basking in their companionship and joking with each other until the old man Teuchi interrupted them, reminding them that Sasuke's trial was about to begin.

"Oh dammit- we have to go" Sakura bolted out of her seat ,  grabbed both Naruto and Sai's arms and dragged them down the road heading towards Kohoha's stadium, where the infamous chūnin exams  finals  had been held three years prior; and now, where Sasuke's trial was to be conducted.

Many people were already making their way over, so the trio had to manouvre around them hastily, if they wanted to get any seats

Whilst Sakura was busy dragging and navigating the two boys through the crouded streets whilst rambling on about all things Sasuke, which also included the trial, Sai, however, noticed how Naruto flinchedevertime the Uchiha boy's name was mentioned.

Somehow, the dark haired boy couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened between Naruto and Sasuke, but he did not know what.

 

* * *

**Konoha's Stadium**

Uchiha Sasuke's trial was far from normal and  no one had expected it to be  conducted otherwise.

Usually when rogue shinobi were tried, it was normally in private, with only the hokage, the village elders who also served as council members and clan leaders sitting in.

However, due to Sasuke's high profile  and the grievous threat he posed against the village as a whole , Tsunade, against Homura, Koharu and Danzo's opposition, had decided the public and every member of the village of Konoha had a right to sit on the trial as the outcome affected them all.

Therefore , the trial was being held in Kohoha's stadium, which had suffered minimal damage from Pain's attack due to the fact that it was located on the outskirts of Konoha, beyond the wall and nearer to the training grounds.

By the time team 7 arrived, the said stadium was packed full with almost every member of the village present, which made it struggle to find vacant seats

Half torn between wanting to be there to hear the verdict and not wanting to be there because he would have to see Sasuke again three weeks after what had happened between the and  he'd disappeared on him, Naruto wasn't too sure if he was happy or sad at not being able to get any seats.

Sakura, on the other hand , was very devastated and was almost on the verge of tears when...

"Sakura, Naruto, Sai- over here" they heard a cry from four rows below to the left of the aisle they currently stood in.

The two boys and girl looked down to see Ino, waiving frantically at them , her high ponytail swishing from side to side,

"We saved you some seats" she added as they slowly descended towards where she, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba , Lee and the rest of Konoha's eleven sat.

Indeed when they arrived , after a session of 'excuse me','pardon me' and 'coming through', trying to manoeuvre past already seated and slightly disgruntled Konoha citizens, they found three vacant seats between Ino and Kiba.

"We thought you guys weren't gonna make it", said Kiba as Naruto sat down beside him, whilst Sakura took the seat next to Ino and Sai sat in the middle.

"We almost didn't" replied Sakura, who'd caught Kiba's remark,

"...just imagine how awful it would be if we, his closest friends, missed Sasuke-kun's trial;" she added with a shudder, obviously horrified at the thought.

Naruto, however, did not reply as his eyes became glued to the small dark haired figure that had entered the stadium flanked by Hatake Kakashi and a masked ANBU. He felt his heart tighten and could feel tears threatening to fall.

He would not cry, he mentally chided himself as he swiftly wiped away a stray tear, though the action was not swift enough to escape Sai's notice.

The dark haired boy chose, however, to remain silent

The sounds in the stadium hushed down to complete silence as Sasuke was led to stand and face the podium on which the hokage , garbed in her official attire, and the rest of the council and clan leaders sat.

A large screen was situated above them allowing those who sat too far, to see what was happening below.

"Uchiha Sasuke" Tsunade started, rising to address the young man that now stood before her, her voice booming loud and clear, " you stand here before me, the hokage as well as the elders clan leaders and all the citizens of Konoha accused of crimes against the village of Konohagakure, is that correct?"

"It is" the boy replied , his voice strong, steady and unflinching

" And how do you plead?"

 

Beat...

 

The whole stadium was filled with an eerie silence...

...and then...

 

**"Guilty"**

 

_TBC..._


	5. The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's trial is conducted and sentence given out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual all mistakes are mine...un betae'd work so please notify me f you come across any . much oblidged :)

 

“ _Uchiha Sasuke....you stand here accused of crimes against the village of Konohagakure, is that correct?”_

“ _It is” the boy replied, his voice strong, steady and unflinching_

“ _And how do you plead?”_

…

“ _Guilty.”_

There was a collective gasp at the plea from the accused, followed by a silence so deafening as the plea sunk in, in the the minds of several thousands of citizens and spectators who'd come for Sasuke's trial.

Even the messy, bespectacled blonde who had been typing up the proceedings had stopped typing, frozen and stunned by Sasuke's reply.

Sasuke was slightly amused when he noticed Kakashi's hands clench slightly , though the rest of the silver haired jounin remained impassive.

It was a rare occurrence indeed to catch his former captain off guard...

...and he savoured it gleefully.

And to think, he was just warming up!

 

Tsunade was the first to recover.

 

“Do you have anything to say in your defence to justify your actions ?”

“None that most of the people who are here are not aware of . Everyone in the village knew that I sought vengeance against the massacre of my family and clan. That has been my goal ever since I was child. I made it very clear from the beginning that I would use any means necessary to achieve my goal and that is what I did... I have never hidden any of my intentions as many would attest to" came Sasuke's cool reply.

He also nodded towards Kakashi, to confirm his point.

Tsunade , as well as the council members and elders who had so far remained silent, turned to the copy ninja inquisitively.

Kakashi coughed to clear his throat

" Sasuke, has divulged to me his intentions many times whilst he was a genin in my team and under my supervision"

"Dually noted" nodded Tsunade and the copy ninja bowed back

" And you decided this at the cost of Konoha and it's safety...?" chipped in a furious Koharu, who could no longer stand to keep silent .

Homura, who sat beside her grunted in agreement and to reflect his displeasure

"As I said earlier" Sasuke turned his cool gaze to face the elderly woman's dark fierce one,"I was going to use any means necessary...and if that decision put the village and everyone in  it at risk, I was willing to make that sacrifice."

Taken aback Koharu let out an involuntary gasp, echoed by various council members and many of the spectators, at Sasuke's callous response

Soon a frenzy of murmurs and whispers erupted.

Did Sasuke truly not care about Konoha and it's people?

Did Sasuke not care about his friends and fellow villagers?

Sakura and Ino were clinging to each other whilst Shikamaru,Nej i, Kiba and surprisingly Lee and Chouji seemed to have turned to stone as they glared coldly down at Sasuke's figure below.

Even if Sasuke had not been a particularly close friend of theirs, they'd at least considered him a comrade and hearing such words from him had shocked and hurt them deeply.

However , more than that, they knew how those words would hurt Naruto more than anyone...

...and it infuriated them that Sasuke did not seem to care about the blond.

How dare he!

Turning to the blond boy who sat to his left, Sai noticed that Naruto's hands clenched so tightly on the arm rests that his knuckles were almost white.

He could see the bones straining beneath his skin.

Looking up, Naruto's face wore the most pained expression Sai had ever seen.

It was so tragic and heartbroken that something unfamiliar tightened in Sai's chest.

To his surprise he felt one of his hands close over Naruto's usually warm hand ,seemingly without his permission,  and squeeze.

Although Naruto did not move his gaze from the grounds , he returned Sai's squeeze,  much to the dark haired boy's amazement.

Sai found that he could not let go of Naruto's hand so he turned his gaze back to the podium and the trial instead, his grip on Naruto's hand strong and sure.

The tightness in his chest , though, still remained, which only served to confuse him even further.

Who knew human emotions were a myriad of perplexing complexities.

 

* * *

 

Back at the podium, Homura's face had turned beet red and he could only but splutter his outrage at Sasuke's insolent response.

However, before he could get a chance to say anything, Tsunade raised her hand to silence every one, her warm brown eyes deadly steel,as she faced the Uchiha

"If Konoha was and is just a merely sacrificial tool  for you to pick snd discard as you please why are you back?" she asked , her voice as cool and as stoic as the Uchiha's,

"Why did you give yourself up to the ANBU?"

There was another shocked gasp from the spectators, councillors and elders alike.

Naruto nearly broke Sai's hand as he took in the implication of Tsunade's question.

Sasuke had not been captured...

...he had come back.

He had come back on his own .

Of his own will

" What is the meaning of th..." roared Homura, who was soon cut off by Tsunade

" Silence Homura!" interjected Tsunade sharply, to which the older man pouted in indignation.

Ignoring him, Tsunade tilted her head towards Sasuke

" Boy, answer me now!" she commanded, her voice booming with authority.

Not expecting such raw power from a simple vocal command, Sasuke, taken aback struggled to find the right answer. He might have to reconsider his assessement of the Godaime, he thought to himself.

He may have grossly underestimated her strength...

...an oversight he needed to rectify as soon as he could

It was crucial for his personal mission that he did not mess his trial up or his plan would go awry.

In the end he decided to go with the truth.

Only... not all of it of course.

"I have unfinished business here"

"What unfinished business, perchance might you have ?" Tsunade's eyebrow rose in curiosity and suspicion

" Uchiha business, it's personal"

"Don't be smart with me boy, what Uchiha business?"

Sasuke remained silent.

This was far as he would go.

He at least, had some dignity  and could not voice such intimate matters in the presence of  the whole village.

He'd let her guess. She was the hokage after and should be able to figure it out easily.

Seeing the boy stubbornly stare back at her, his lips drawn into a thin line, Tsunade's right eye began to twitch

As the hokage I order you to tell me now!" demanded Tsunade , her temper starting to flair.

Sasuke , however still refused to answer.

Seeing the tell-tale signs of the hokage's temper tantrums starting, Shikaku, the current head of the Nara clan, who was sitting next Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan, and had so far been quietly observing the trial, decided to interrupt before she went on a rampage. .

"Hokage-sama, perhaps it is something the Uchiha is not willing to discuss in front of the whole village"

"This is a public trial Shikaku and the boy will answer when he is damn well told to!" came the stubborn reply

"What if it was a delicate matter..." pressed Shikaku, knowing that if he didn't attempt to divert the conversation, the trial would end up a war zone, seeing as both parties refused to budge

"Oh for goodness sake what delicate matter could the Uchiha have to solve huh? " Tsunade snorted clearly having forgotten where she was

.For the spectators, most were beginning to realise that their day was going to be full of heart-stopping shocks and surprises

"He is the **last** remaining Uchiha, he does have some **obligations** **"** Shikaku answered deliberately , putting emphasis on 'last' and 'obligations', hoping the hokage would catch on.

Scanning the expressions of the rest of the councillors, elders and clan leaders who were serving as jury, Shikaku could see that they , thankfully, had cottoned on.

Even Koharu and Homura looked a little bit mollified.

Fortunately for everyone , so had Tsunade.

Danger averted, Shikaku thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

He was however slightly surprised to hear an amused chuckle from the usually impassive cold fish that was Hyuuga Hiashi

"Well played" came the unexpected praise

Shikaku smiled slightly in response.

 

Meanwhile Tsunade, whose face had turned a deep shade of pink coughed to clear her throat and cover her embarrassment

"Er right... um...well since we are not going to delve into Sasuke's reasons for coming back, in public we shall continue with the rest of the trail. As the defendant has plead guilty I guess we must begin the sentencing" she added, turning to the jury, for approval.

They all nodded in agreement.

Satisfied, Tsunade turned back to re-address Sasuke

" Is it safe to assume that you'll willingly agree to any form of punishment the elders and I give to you ?"

"It is" came the short reply and at that, Tsunade could not help but feel a little bit apprehensive.

There was something not right about the boy's  suddenly compliant demeanor... it was all  wrong Sasuke's sudden reappearance and surrender... but she couldn't quite place a finger on it.

It a just too simple.

Taking a moment to assess the boy who stood before her, she was reminded of the first time she'd met him in her office, just moments after he'd returned to Konoha.

The dead expression and the cold empty eyes were still there and she felt she'd almost imagined seeing any  emotion in them when she'd told him he'd be staying with Naruto.

Her brilliant idea of trying to get  him to open up by sending him to Naruto had failed- Kakashi had reported back to her the following morning after,  informing her of Sasuke's refusal to stay with Naruto and his insistence in being put into a correctional facility after  spending a mere few hours alone in the blond's company .

Tsunade felt it was something akin to a bad omen that Naruto had failed to melt the young Uchiha.

Forcing herself to focus on the matter at hand, Tsunade began to addess Sasuke as well as to the villagre audience

"Since Uchiha Sasuke has agreed to all the conditions required, the council and I will adjourn to deliberate and we will return within an hour to deliver Uchiha Sasuke's sentence."

With that, the rest of the _'jury'_ stood up to follow Tsunade , who  made her way down the podium and towards an entrance that lead to one of the training rooms that was reserved for jury deliberation, meanwhile Sasuke was led by Kakashi and his other ANBU guard to an opposite entrance which lead to another training room that was serving as a temporary holding cell.

 

* * *

 

Naruto's eyes followed the raven haired boy and his escorts until they disappeared.

He was so focused on Sasuke that he did not hear Kiba , who had been speaking to him until he felt a sharp poke on his left arm

"Oww Kiba, whatcha do that for? " he exclaimed , rubbing his arm and glaring intensely at the brown haired boy

"If you weren't so busy ignoring me I wouldn't have poked you... baka"

"Well I wouldn't hafta ignore you if anythin' you said made any sense at all  " Naruto retorted, blowing a raspberry back at the dog boy.

Sai couldn't help but smile at the scene .

At least Naruto was acting a little bit like the Naruto he knew, which to him, was an incredible relief.

" I don't see how you two can joke around when Sasuke-kun is about to be punished" came an admonishment from Ino, who was comforting a crying Sakura.

Naruto's face fell as he suddenly remembered where he was.

"Well it"s not like he doesn't deserve it or anything" Kiba muttered back, " I mean can you believe what he said about our village. We don't matter to him so why should he matter to us?"

"But he's our friend" Naruto interjected, not being able to stand hearing the accusation in Kiba's voice, even though he was pissed off at Sasuke himself.

"No Naruto, he's your friend not ours" replied a surprisingly awake Shikamaru, who'd joined the conversation, an unusual hardness in his voice

" Because of him, many of our friends nearly died three years ago and the bastard doesn't seem to give a damn" he added, shuddering; at the thoughts of Chouji's emaciated frame after he'd fought Jirobo of the Sound Four, came flooding back into his mind.

That had been his first mission as a chūnin leader and he'd failed... nearly loosing Chouji in the process.

And it was all because of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Shikamaru... you know that ain't true, Sasuke cares, he..."

"He what Naruto? You heard him, he saidwas going to do whatever was necessary to achieve his own personal goal and to hell with the rest of us or the villagers" interrupted an annoyed Kiba.

He really didn't like Sasuke.

'Kiba calm down" said Shino , who sat to the other side of Kiba.

"But he's defending that traitor" Kiba argued pointing at Naruto , who felt stung by Kiba's words .

He knew most of his friends apart from Sakura and Sai, who really didn't care about anything, felt the same .

But up until now, no one had said it out loud and he'd been able to delude himself into thinking everyone felt the same as he and Sakura did for Sasuke.

Though to be fair, he really couldn't blame them for their anger after what Sasuuke's actions put them through.

Still...

"But...but he's come back! He wasn't captured or anything . He gave himself up" Naruto argued ,"If he didn't care about us ,why would he do that? Why would he come back?"

"He didn't come back for us"retorted Shikamaru acidly, " Most likely he came back to revive his clan. That's what they were hinting at down there. For Sasuke nothing is important than being an Uchiha. It will always come first and foremost before anything else, Naruto. Be sure to always remember that."

"Well I believe in Sasuke and so does Sakura-chan" the blond replied, with more confidence than he truly felt, nodding reassuringly to the pink haired girl who'd remained silent throughout the exchange , her eyes red, puffy and swollen from crying,, " you just wait an' see, he's going to prove y'all wrong"

"I sure hope for your sake you're right Naruto"

 

* * *

 

Soon, an hour had passed and the hokage and council were back on the podium with Sasuke standing before them, waiting for his sentence to be announced .

Tsunade stood up, holding up a short scroll.

She began to read it out

" I stand before you here as the hokage, to pass judgement on the defendant known as Uchiha Sasuke for crimes against the Hidden village of Konoha and the ninja world, through his defection and association with a particularly dangerous terrorist known as Orochimaru. However, before I pass on the sentence, it must, however be noted that Sasuke has  done a great service to the ninja world and by defailt, Konoha, by killing said terrorist Orochimaru and as well as Uchiha Itachi, who both were rogue Konoha ninjas and had meant the village harm . He also managed to kill another Akatsuki member, Deidara, who also posed a threat to Konoha."

Hearing his brother proclaimed a terrorist, Sasuke bled inwardly and this steeled his resolve more than ever.

His eyes locked in on Danzou, who sat two seats from the right of Tsunade and narrowed them menacingly.

Feeling eyes on him, Danzou's eyes met Sasuke and for a small moment, Sasuke held his gaze , making sure all his hatred poured out of him and reflected in his eyes.

Then he looked away.

He did , however notice Danzo's eyes narrow in return.

 

The game was on!

 

They were all going to pay.

Danzou, Homura, Koharu even Tsunade...

Every fucking single one of them

"Having taken these things into consideration," continued Tsunade, " we have decided that Uchiha Sasuke shall have his ninjutsu sealed and be placed under village arrest for an indefinite period of time. He shall also be assigned a guard who is to be with him at all times. That will also be for an indefinite lenghth of time or at least until Sasuke can prove himself loyal to Konoha . The seal will be similar to the Hyuuga curse seal and shall be conducted by myself and Hyuuga Hiashi."

Sasuke did not flinch, although there were shocked gasps and whispers from the villagers as his sentence was read out.

He had anticipated such a sentence.

However, nothing in the world could have prepared him from what Tsunade said next

"In addition, Uchiha Sasuke is hereby ordered to marry and conceive an heir within a 6 week time limit. If he does not comply, within the set time frame, other means will be used to ensure that an Uchiha heir is produced with or without Uchiha's consent"

There was  yet another stunned silence at that statement, followed by a particularly loud and  familiar sounding cry of astonishment from within the audience, which seemed to start off a riot of murmurs and mutterings of shock.

Tsunade cleared her throat in slight amusement

" That will be all and I sincerely hope this sentence will be enough to satisfy the villagers of Konoha. I have been your hokage, Senju Tsunade, good day to you all "

With that Tsunade bowed to the stunned audience and turned to nod to Hiashi who stood up and followed her down the podium and towards one of the stadium exits.

The rest of the council followed suit and Sasuke, who could hardly feel his legs, found himself half dragged and half carried after them by Kakashi and his ANBU guard.

 

What the hell was happening?

 

 

* * *

_In addition, Uchiha Sasuke is hereby ordered to marry and conceive an heir_ _within a 6 week time limit._

_If he does not comply within the set time frame, other means will be used to ensure that an Uchiha heir is produced with or without Uchiha's consent_

"Whaaaat" Naruto found himself screaming out loud, as he rapidly stood up from his seat banging his hands down on his arms rest.

All his friends looked up at him in surprise but he did not seem to notice.

He was too fully engrossed in the craziness before him.

That had to be most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard!

Surely they'd not force Sasuke to...hang on a minute, something was not right.

He suddenly felt a familiar feeling...

...of everything blurring out of vision and spinning around him.

He looked down at his friends' surprised faces and they'd also gone all blurry.

He's knees buckled beneath him and he could feel himself fall.

The last thing he could remember thinking, amidst Sakura and Kiba shouting out his name in panick, was...

 

'Oh hell... not again!

* * *

 

When he came to, he was in an uncomfortably bright white room that hurt his eyes.

He looked down his body and noticed that he was clad in a white gown.

Everything was white and somehow he didn't like it.

His head felt as heavy as lead and everything was so fuzzy that it took him a while to get his bearings and figure out where he was.

Everything started to come back to him slowly, the events of the trial slowly unfolding in his memory

Oh hell the trial!

He tried to get up from the slightly hard surface he seemed to be lying on and he felt a strong pair of hands on his shoulders gently but firmly push him back down .

He started to panic- he hadn't sensed anyone else in the room.

He tried to struggle but his body was weak , and whoever held him down was strong.

He looked up to see who it was and met a pair of familiar milky white eyes...

Hyuuga Neji

"Calm down Sasuke-sama, if you struggle you will only make yourself uncomfortable" the older boy advised , in soft but cold voice.

Sure enough , Sasuke could feel a wave of nausea build up

"Sick..am ..going..." he couldn't finish his sentence, as he started to vomit.

Fortunately Neji was quick enough to grab a silver basin to put under the Uchiha, who had turned on his side to dangle over the edge of the bed and avoid throwing up on himself .

After he finished heaving , Neji left to throw away the mess , whilst Sasuke threw himself back on his back.

He 'd never felt so weak and humiliated in his whole life .

He, an Uchiha, had thrown up and had been attended to, by a Hyuuga, of all people.

The said Hyuuga was soon back with a clean basin and a glass of water for Sasuke to rinse his mouth out with.

The long haired boy put the basin down and turned to Sasuke with the intention of helping him up but when he met the glare of the younger boy, he thought better of it and offered the boy the glass instead.

Determined to maintain his dignity, Sasuke forced himself to sit up, fighting down a new wave of nausea and dizziness and silently took the offered glass and then the bowl Neji had picked up. He rinsed his mouth and spat into the bowl. He then stared at the two items in his hands , not knowing what to do with them.

Although he managed to sit himself up , Sasuke knew there was no way he was in any condition to stand or walk yet and therein lay the problem.

If he gave them to Neji, he would concede that he was helpless and needed Neji's help and if he didn't then he'd have to do it himself which both boys knew he couldn't.

Fortunately, the problem was taken out of his hands because at that moment, Tsunade and Hiashi had decided to check on their patient.

Neji took it upon himself to take the basin and glass which Sasuke accepted as he had not offered them , then the former bowed quickly to his superiors and rapidly exited the room

"I see you are awake Sasuke. How do you feel?"

Like shit, he wanted to say but it wasn't an Uchiha appropriate response and he'd be damned if he brought shame to his family name.

"I have had better days but I should be better in few minutes"

"The symptoms should last for a few hours but afterwards they should be gone" assured Hiashi.

"That would be a relief" replied Sasuke, his face stoic , which somehow seemed to, amusingly mirror Hiashi's, a hint of derision lacing his cool voice.

"Watch yourself boy" warned Tsunade , not missing Sasuke's sardonic tone,

"...we are here to explain how the seal we've put on you works and you best pay attention, coz it's your brain that's gonna be fried if you don't, 'kay".

She added the last part with an evil smile and glint in her eye.

Sasuke suddenly found himself missing Sarutobi ojiisan.

But before Tsunade could say anything in addition , a green clad individual with bowl cut dark hair and bushy brows, whom Sasuke immediately recognised as his kooky senpai Rock Lee , burst into the room gasping and panting; his normally pale face red from running.

Neji was on his tail, worry etched on his face

"Tsunade-sama.. y...you have to...come with me...(pant)...something wrong … Naruto-kun...hurry"

Sasuke's head shot up at the mention the blond's name.

He suddenly felt winded as if he'd been punched in the gut.

His nausea seemed to be coming back .

What was wrong with Naruto?

"What?'" Tsunade whirled around to face Lee , her expression changing from evil mirth to a concerned one, " What's wrong with Naruto...what happened to him"her voice shaking slightly

"I don't know, " replied Lee, his voice more steady as he'd finally gained his breath back,

"...he fainted at stadium after you and the councillors left.  Sakura-chan tried to revive him, but he wouldn't wake up, so we brought him to the hospital but they cant seem to wake him up either. It seems he has a high temperature as well"

Tsunade chewed her lip as she mulled over the symptoms.

It didn't feel right. Naruto was hardly every sick, thanks to the Kyuubi.

Maybe something was wrong with the seal...?

All in all, thought Tsunade shaking off her rising panic,  it was not a very good sign that he was unconscious.

She had to hurry and check on Naruto before anything serious happened .

If it was anything to do with the seal, they could be in serious trouble since Naruto no longer had her grandfather's necklace

"It seems I will have to leave you two, Hiashi and Neji, to explain things to Sasuke here." Tsunade decided, walking towards the door,

" I'll go see to the gaki. I trust you will handle everything here " she added turning to face the Hyuuga leader

"Of course Hokage-sama, please go see to Naruto-san"

Although he would never say it out loud, Hiashi had a rather soft spot for the blond jinchuuriki. It was because of Naruto, that Hiashi had begun to mend his relationship with his nephew Neji- as well as build a new one with his daughter Hinata. His children had changed for the better because of Naruto and he would forever be grateful to him for that.

"Great.. now Lee you have to take me to where he is now"

"Of course Hokage-sama!"

"Erm..excuse Tsunade-sama"

Tsunade, who was halfway out of the room turned... to see Neji steeling himself up.

"Yes" she answered impatiently.

She had to get to Naruto quick.

Both Hiashi and Sasuke, the latter who'd been stuck in a daze since Lee came in with his news, looked up,with a startle, at the younger Hyuuga male who was now bowing .

"I beg your pardon for delaying you... but is it possible if I come with you too? Naruto is a close friend I would like to be there with the others"

To say three of the five occupants in the room were taken aback by the request was an understatement. Neji was not one to show much emotion or voice any personal thoughts or requests- but from the look of sheer concern written on his face, no one could doubt his sincerity.

Whilst Tsunade and surprisingly Hiashi found it endearing Sasuke, however, found Neji's sincerity towards Naruto rather annoying.

Since when did Naruto and dead-face Neji become the best of buddies?

From what he could remember, Naruto previously couldn't stand the smug bastard.

Obviously things had changed when he'd been gone, he thought with a pout.

It didn't make him feel any better that Neji was also drop dead gorgeous.

The silent, tall, dark, handsome type the dobe seemed to like...

...hang on a minute where the hell did that thought come from, Sasuke thought to himself with a shudder.

The seal had turned his brain into mush.

It had to be the seal, there was no other explanation

 

...was there?

 

Tsunade looked to Hiashi, who nodded his permission

"Of course you can , but we have to hurry" and with that she was gone like a shot, following after Lee who was already halfway down the corridor

Nodding to both Hiashi and Sasuke, whose pale face looked slightly paler than normal, Neji rushed out to follow after the other two.

To say the next hour and half were almost like hell , would have beenan understatement for Sasuke.

Although Hiashi was patient and thorough in his explanation of the nature and effects of the seal ,Sasuke could not grasp a single thing.

His mind was preoccupied with worry for Naruto.

Try as he might, the Uchiha had not been able to forget the blond dobe since their mistaken night of passion and in the three weeks they'd been apart.

Slowly but surely, details of what exactly occurred the night they slept together had come to him , torturing him in his dreams every night in his jail cell.

Fortunately for him he'd had the cell to himself so there had been no witnesses to his shame.

Beacuse of danger and threat he posed toothers, Sasuke found himself lucky not to be overheard by anyone, thrashing and grunting in his sleep as he mentally bedded Naruto every single night - waking up wet and sticky with his sweat and seed.

Always, he'd remembered Naruto's golden body writhing in pain and pleasure as Sasuke'd taken him.

He remembered how Naruto threw his head back and screamed Sasuke's name again and again, as Sasuke hit Naruto's sensitive spot repeatedly.

But more than anything, he remembered how Naruto clung desperately to him as they both climaxed- how for that moment in time only he and Naruto had mattered.

No one else had existed ...

...and that had been magic!

Reflecting back on that moment, Sasuke was beginning to realise his feelings for the dobe were definitely more than he'd care to acknowledge.

But now the dobe was sick and all Sasuke could do was sit and pretend to listen to Hiashi talk about the chakra seal they'd put on him.

 

No!

 

It was alright.

 

This was right.

 

This was how it was meant to be.

Naruto was nothing to him but a piece of a beautiful memory.

A past he could never got back to as even if he had a choice .

He could not allow his feelings for the blond to jeopardise his plans to destroy Konoha.

It was good he could not go see the dobe and check if he was alright.

Somehow he knew that if he did- his resolve would diminish.

It was all good.

 

But... why then.... did he feel like his heart was being stabbed with a thousand kunai?

 

"Er ...Sasuke-san...are you okay?"

Sasuke jumped at Hiashi's hand on his shoulder.

He suddenly realised he was still in the white room and he was supposed to be paying attention to what Hiashi was saying

"Erm...I'm fine ...please continue,,"

"I think I better leave it for now and let you to rest for a bit," Hiashi replied placing both hands on his temple and his milky eyes peering into Sasuke's as if he were searching for something ( which unnerved the younger male),

"... you seem to be slightly dazed. It must be the effects of the seal, please lay back and rest"

Keen to be rid of the Hyuuga, Sasuke obediently and lay back on the hard bed with the assistance of Hiashi and closed his eyes.

He waited until he heard the soft sound of the door closing and opened his eyes.

 

Why was his heart heavy at the thought of Naruto being sick?

 

Why?

 

* * *

* * *


	6. Knocked UP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto has an interesting chat with Kyuubi plus ... gets unexpected and unwanted tidings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a few years , this is still by far the worst chapter I've written. Had to rush the editing but I cannot see it improving . Will keep coming back to it and editing it til I'm satisfied.  
> By the way... Happy New Year and many blessings and good wishes to y'all. Please dont mind the typos ... I will rectify if you just point them out . V (peace)

_"Hey kid...kid...wake up"_

_Naruto opened his eyes to a familiar deep growling voice and a weird sense of wetness and weightlessness._

_He was floating._

_Oh great, he thought with a big groan as it slowly registered where he was._

_Kyuubi..._

_"I'm glad you''re happy to see me too gaki..." came the fox's amused and sardonic chortle at the blond boy's reaction_

_"Whatchu want you oversized flea bag" spat Naruto as he struggled to his feet,"and don't call me gaki!"_

_To Naruto's sheer astonishment, the Kyuubi, merely rolled his big sinister red eyes and chuckled._

_Something was up … ...and Naruto wasn't too sure he was gonna like it._

_Edging cautiously and closer to the sealed gate gate ( but not too close to be within the demon fox's reach) Naruto was furthermore astonished to see that the Kyuubi was actually smiling._

_Which in itself, was the most disturbing thing to ever behold!_

_Kyuubi plus happy meant disaster, thought Naruto as he instinctively took a step back, away from the gate._

_Suddenly, the implication of where he was made him jolt in apprehension, and trepidation slowly began to rise within him._

_Naruto, finding himself standing before the Kyuubi's sealed gate  never bode well for anyone._

_More often than not, it usually happened right before he went on a rampage_

_… wait a minute..._

_Oh my god..., thought Naruto, as he threw a frightened glance toward the beast  who seemed to be watching him with an expression of  sadistic  glee and amusement,_

_"You're not about to go on a rampage," 'helpfully' chipped in the Kyuubi, obviously reading his thoughts._

_Naruto gasped in outrage, which made the Kyuubi chuckle even more_

_" I never said I was" Naruto spat back defensively, pouting as he unconsciously squared himself up , crossing his arms over his chest and glaring venomously at the Kyuubi._

_Although hed  known that the Kyuubi shared almost all of his thoughts and feelings- it certainly didn't make him feel grateful for it, considering it wasn't an equal arrangement._

_Whilst the Kyuubi was privy to all his deep, dark secrets- every embarrassing moment and thought that he's ever had,  Naruto never knew  what the bijuu was thinking, and it pissed him off to no end._

_In addition, Naruto could not shake off the feeling that the Kyuubi knew something and was hiding it from him._

_Another deep snigger from the Kyuubi served to prove Naruto's instinct right ,which in turn made the boy feel even more peeved._

_That damned, evil, old  andnmangy fox!_

_"Oi oi there! No need for name calling" chided the Kyuubi, pretending to be offended, having caught that last thought._

_Oh it was on!_

_Truly and thoroughly irritated , Naruto stomped over to the sealed gate, to which the Kyuubi raised an eyebrow (was the boy dumb or insane)? , then proceeded to rattle the bars violently in frustration_

_Someone was having a tantrum_

_"Well if I've not gone beserker.." shouted the boy,"...what the hell am I doing. Why did you bring me here? What do you want from me, tell me ...now datte'bayo!" he added, stomping his feet in emphasis._

_He knew he was behaving childishly but he honestly didn't give a rat's ass._

_The Kyuubi literally  brought out the worst in him!_

_"Now ...what would be the fun in telling?" replied the Kyuubi as he lazily drew one of his large long claws down along one of the bars of the gate- stopping precariously above the blond ninja's head._

_Naruto stiffened , staring up into the kyuubi's large menacing eyes._

_All it would take, would be one swift movement from the Kyuubi and it could rip his mental state to shreds and that would would be it ._

_And they both knew it._

_However, much to the boy's surprise, the Kyuubi withdrew his claw, raising it to its face and proceeded to inspect it, seemingly dismissing his young container._

_Naruto, finding the kyuubi's behaviour all too vexing, found himself  on his knees suddenly , energy depleted. It hyad rather been a stressful day , what with Sasuke's trial and now the Kyuubi was being a dick... well more of a dick than usual._

_"C'mon 'teba, you've gotta tell me now that you brought me here" he whined_

_There a was a pause , in which Naruto thought the Kyuubi would not answer , obviously keen to let his jailer stew in the pain of ignorance -which in fact was not far from the truth._

_However;_

_"You have been a very busy boy haven't you, Uzumaki?" came the answer, in a slimy drawl that gave the Naruto the shivers_

_Confusion etched itself on the young blond ninja's face._

_The damned fox was talking in riddles again._

_"What the h..."_

_"Why don't you try jogging your memory back to a particular night three weeks ago" interjected the smirking fox , an evil glint in it's eyes._

_"Three weeks...? A particular night..? I don't know wha-"_

_Naruto was even more confused than before_

_"I beg to differ" Kyuubi cut in,"you know exactly what I'm talking about"_

_Right... that was the final straw!_

_"Seriously Kyuubi, I'm gettin' kinda pissed off by this whole damn business," snapped Naruto,"either you tell me what you knowor let me go datte'bayo"_

_"So impatient kit" admonished the fox mockingly,"however are you going to manage when you have kits of your own heh?"_

_"Kits... ?_

_What the hell!_

_"Kyuubi 'teba!" shouted , who was now Naruto  beyond pissed._

_It seemed his conversation with fox was leading no where._

_"Now now..." pacified the fox seemingly relenting to the agitated boy, "the night I was referring to has something to do with your very interesting and vigorous jaunt with a certain dark haired Uchiha"_

_At that, Naruto visibly paled._

_"Whaaat!" he managed to splutter out._

_Oh hell he'd forgotten about the Kyuubi..._

_...and the Kyuubi had seen, heard and perhaps on some level, felt, what he had done with Sasuke that godforsakenl night._

_Oh how he wished he could just wither and die..._

_"I have to give you credit kit, you were one hell of a monster th- "_

_"SHUT UP 'tebayo!" screamed Naruto, with so much venom and rage it almost made the demon fox proud ,_

_"You have no fucking  right  to bring that up! I don't care that I'm your flaming jinchuuriki - what me and Sasuke got up to has got nothin' to do with anyone else, let alone you ! D'you understand what'm saying?!"_

_All the anger, hurt and loneliness he felt when he woke to find Sasuke gone after they'd slept together, came back double strength_

_"Again I beg to differ,"the Kyuubi retorted, "as my vessel, you're special Uzumaki and I'm afraid that your copulation with the Uchiha boy has led to some rather interesting results that even I, in my infinite wisdom, had not anticipated. However, I must say...the results have been most satisfactory. Just like the Habanero."_

_" Special..results?Habanero?  Kyuubi what crap are ya spew- "shot back Naruto, momentary shocked out of his anger_

_"Don't fret kit.."interrupted the fox," you're about to find out soon enough. Now it's time for you to go back"_

_"Kyuubi wait!" shouted Naruto as he felt himself pulled back into consciousness, "what d'ya mean..."_

_"Just a word of advice" came the distant deep voice of the Kyuubi, as his image began to blur from Naruto' s vision,"when I'm free, you had  better make sure I don't find you! For your sake, as well as your..."_

He didn't hear the last part as he was suddenly hit by a bright light.

He'd returned to consciousness

"For my sake as well as my what... 'teba"? he tried to ask mentally.

For some reason, the last part that he'd missed, felt very important.

Unfortunately, try as he might asking the the demon fox, he was awarded with nothing but silence. Kyuubi obviously felt it'd given him more than enough information .

How marvellous !

 

"Naruto!" cried a familiar female laced with worry and anxiety

Sakura...

He blinked his eyes, trying to focus and figure out where he was.

The smell of antiseptic and disinfectant assailed his nostrils, making him nauseous.

He was in hospital, and much to his surprise as he opened his eyes, most of his friends were there.

"Naruto you're awake!" shrieked Sakura, as she threw herself onto the befuddled blond, hugging him so tight he almost couldn't breathe.

Despite his flailing , no one seemed too bothered by the fact that Sakura was half choking him to death- most relieved that Naruto was conscious – which wouldn't be for long if Sakura didn't loosen her death grip on him.

It was only after Naruto managed to gasp out a plea...

" A-ano...Sakura-chan ...c-can't ...b-breathe"

..that the pink haired female loosened her hold, donning a sheepish look .

It was unseemly for a med-nin to behave in such an amateur manner

"I was just worried you wouldn't wake up" she mumbled, embarassed by her behaviour

Naruto grinned at her and she slowly and hesitantly smiled back, her face gradually brightening.

Sakura-chan is so cute, he found himself thinking.

"You won't get rid of me that easily dattebayo"he said softly, patting her gently on the back

"Wouldn't dare dream of it. I'd die without you baka" she whispered back gently, just loud enough fo his earsr only, before giving him another tight squeeze then releasing him to give the others a chance to speak to him.

Naruto was comforted by the knowledge Sakura words were sincere. He finally had bonds that couldn't be severed, he realised as he looked at the smiling faces of his friends, who all looked worried for him

It made him feel grateful

"Welcome back to the world of the living buddy," grinned Kiba who was standing next to Sakura, "never had you down as a fainter!" he added with a sly grin, "that's something I expect Hinata to do... not you! Sure you ain't gone girly on us now have you?"

"Shuudup Kiba!"

"K-kiba-kun!" admonished  Naruto and Hinata at the same time, both red in the face- the former throwing a badly aimed pillow at the laughing brunet, who easily dodged the missile by hiding behind Shikamaru who also happened to be in the room: whilst the latter hid her blushing face in her hands.

"Kiba stop teasing Naruto and Hinata" Shikamaru chided half-heartedly, and then turned to address Naruto, " but seriously speaking, Naruto, you had us worried there for a minute. Chouji, Shino , Ten-Ten and Neji all had to go but they asked the rest of us to keep them updated on how you're doing. Lee's just gone to fetch the hokage seeing as we couldn't wake you up. Do have any idea why you fainted at the stadium? "he added  as he watched the blond being helped by Sakura and Sai to sit up in the hospital bed,  both  teammates adding  mass upon masses of fluffy pillows to support him.

Much to Naruto' surprise he found that he was struggling to regain his strength.

As it was, he could hardly sit up on his own.

At Shikamaru's question, Naruto hesitated for a second, thinking back to his conversation with Kyuubi when he had been unconscious.

Could he tell his friends what the Kyuubi had said?

Of course everyone who was in the room now knew that he was the kyuubi's jinchuuriki and had accepted him regardless. However, he knew that if he revealed that the deterioration of his health (if he was totally honest with himself, he hadn't felt right for weeks and had up to now dismissed it as him being down in the dumps over  being-abandoned-for-the-second-time-by-Sasuke thing), was somehow linked to the Kyuubi, it could cause an uproar...

... and he didn't want that.

"I don't know" he lied.

He decided there and then that he'd wait and see if he got any worse .

There really was no need to worry his friends over nothing.

And. if he did find himself getting worse, he'd go straight to the old hag.

She'd be able to sort something out.

And if he was really honest with himself, he suspected that the Kyuubi was just  trying to screw with him like he usually did and Naruto wasn't going to be stupid enough to fall for it.

At that reasoning, he felt a little bit reassured...

...that is ...until he heard a faint dark mocking chuckle from inside his mind that seemed to say 'don't kid yourself' ...

 A sense of foreboding began to grow in him

Most of his friends seemed to buy his answer, and they were all soon coming up with various ridiculous reasons as to why Naruto had fainted, with Kiba even suggesting that Naruto could be pregnant... to which both Sakura and Ino hit the dog boy on the noggin for being unhelpful.

Hah...that's what you get for being such an idiot and saying stupid things , Naruto thought smugly, grinning broadly as he watched the brunet rub his sore head whilst trying vainly to justify his foolish reason.

His grin faltered, when his eyes met Shikamaru's. Shikamaru had detected Naruto's momentary hesitation before and it was clear that he wasn't buying Naruto's lie.

Naruto averted his eyes, but fortunately for him,  Shikamaru did not say anything,  obviously deciding to let it go.

If Naruto wanted to tell he would... and in his own time .

Naruto let out a sigh of relief and gave Shikamaru a small nod of appreciation , which didn't go unnoticed by Sai, who throughout everything, had remained quietly observant, only moving once to help Sakura sit Naruto up.

He too, like Shikamaru felt that Naruto was hiding something but like Shikamaru, he also felt it was up to the blond to divulge when he saw fit.

He just hated seeing the usually energetic and jovial guy so down.

It brought forth certain feelings in him that Sai didn't think he wanted to address

"Right Naruto, now that you're awake, I need to take a blood test" said Sakura pulling out sealed syringe and needle from her uniform,reverting to her med-nin persona,satisfied that her best friend was no longer on death's door, "it's okay that you're conscious and everything but we still don't know what caused you tofaint"

"N-now S-sakura-chan... i-is that n-n-necessary 'tebayo?" Naruto grimaced as he backed away further into his pillows- away from Sakura and her tool of absolute evil.

No way was she gonna stick that thing in him if he had anything to do with it!

"Naruto don't be so childish, it's only for a bloodtest," chided Ino, who exhaled a large sigh of exasperation, watching the huddled  blond teen shy away from the approaching Sakura,

" Seriously someone'd think Sakura was coming at him with a sword or something,

"...at the most, it will only feel like a tiny little pinch."

Naruto swiped his right arm away from the pink haired female's reach

"I actually feel much betterso you really  dont need to do any of that that" he laughed nervously.

Sakura scowled, clearly loosing patience,

"Come on Naruto, I haven't go all day"she said, tapping her foot impatiently

"You tell me that, on top of proneness to fainting , Naruto-chan, Konoha's future hokage is afraid of an iddle widdle needle?" teased Kiba, to which Naruto threw him a scathing glare

"I am NOT afraid on needles...I just don't like 'em is all dattebayo!"

"Well if you're not afraid of them, why don't you let me take a blood sample then"countered Sakura.

"Fine ", Narutoconceded with a sigh of defea , keen to keep whatever shred of dignity he had left in front of his friends.

As if it wasn't bad enough that he'd fainted like a girl...  again!

He slowly offered his right arm to Sakura and immediately turned his head away when he felt her grasp it, tightly squeezing his eyes shut.

t was only a needle...a teeny tiny needle...it wasn't gonna hurt

...oh god...oh god...I cant do it...oh heck no! Naruto yanked arm when he thought he felt the needle prick, unbalancing an unsuspecting Sakura, who in turn, proceeded to fall face down straight into his crotch.

Everyone gasped, Naruto's faceturning a deep shade of red.

Kiba began to snicker whilst the rest had the sense to try and conceal their bareley uncontainable mirth.

Ino, especially let out an un lady-like snort

"Sorry " she managed to squeak out, struggling hard to contain her giggles

"Nicely done Naruto" Kiba praised mockingly, adding a wink at the bond boy,"couldn't have executed that better myself ,even if I planned it. I bet you've dreamt of a set up like this for a long time. Milk it while you can"

If looks could kill, Kiba would have spontaneously combusted from the dark glare Naruto was giving him. Unfortunately , Kiba was the last of Naruto's worries.

The pink haired girl who was currently trembling on top of him was definitely top of the list

"Sakura-chan I-I'm s-s-so sorry !" Naruto cried, his voice trembling with sheer terror and horror, as he tried to help push the pinkette's head up from his crotch. Sakura swatted his hands away. Naruto yelped as he rubbed his sore hands , watching helplessly as Sakura raised her self up.

Murder was written in her eyes

"Sucks for you that you can't run away, coz if you could, now would've been the perfect time" chipped in Shikamaru, shaking his head in a mixture of sympathy and laughter.

The blond was dead meat

" Now S-s-sakura-chan... y-you need ta calm-ah ..aaargh-"

 

"NARUTOOOOOOO!"

Tsunade was angry... No ... actually she was LIVID !

Never before had she felt an absolute desire to kill in cold blood!

Well except for that one time Jiraiya snuck into the female baths when she'd been taking a soak...

...but right at that moment, she was pretty damn close.

Just who the hell did those brats think she was...

Slowly, she bent down to pick the offending pillow that had , only moments ago, hit her smack in the face , rising slowly to look at the débâcle that lay before her.

Behind her, Neji and Lee who had entered after her, stopped in their tracks, a look of horror pasted on both their faces. They involuntary took a few steps back, thanking their lucky stars that they were not part of the group that had made, up to then, the current occupants of the room.

Especially since they noticed that their hokage was literally oozing murderous intent.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the impending danger, two team-mates were currently preoccupied in an energetic scuffle "Ne Sakura chan teba I already said m' sorry"

"I swear to god , Naruto, if you don't sit still I will knock you unconsc..."

"Can someone, pray tell me why,  exactly, in the name of all that is sacred,  is Sakura strangling Naruto, of whom I understood was supposed to be um...oh let me see... on death's door... hmm?" interjected a seething Tsunade in a deceptively soft voice that exuded danger, making every one in the room jump in surprise.

Sakura, who up to that point, had been holding a squirming Naruto in a headlock, whilst her other hand held up a syringe menacingly, jumped , loosening her grip on the boy, proceeding to fall over the edge of the bed- landing hard on her behind

"T-tsunade-sama...!" she squealed in shocked horror, as did the others

"I hope this is not some kind of joke, because if it is... people are going to die" threatened Tsunade who held up the pillow she had in her hand,

" I was led to believe that Naruto was seriously ill and I come here to... to this idiocy. Do you have any clue how busy I am?" she added gesturing before her with the pillow.

"No.. I mean y-yes Tsunade-sama" replied a flustered Sakura, who was being helped off the floor by Sai and Shikamaru,

" Naruto was unconscious for quite a few hours until a few minutes ago. I was just trying to take a blood sample but he was being difficult"

Tsunade cast a a suspicious glance at Sakura and the rest of the occupants, who nodded in agreement.

Fortunately for everyone else, Naruto had the decency to look sheepish and he avoided her gaze

"Very well," she said seemingly satisfied with that excuse, "lets have a look at you then Naruto" she added throwing the pillow down and moving forward to sit on the edge of Naruto's bed, as Sakura moved away to make room. Lee and Neji moved in closer to stand nearer to the bed, both smiling at Naruto in silent support Tsunade gathered chakra into her palms until they were glowing green.

She then began scanning the length of Naruto's body ,who at her request had laid on his back. She began her inspection from the head moving lower down to his shoulders and upper abdomen. So far , she could not detect anything amiss.

Naruto's friends all huddled in around him and the hokage, eager to know what was happening.

Neji resisted the urge to use his byakugan.

He really hated not knowing what was happening and after one quick glance at his cousin, he could tell she also felt the same

"A little bit of breathing room please" Tsunade asked, feeling a bit stifled.

This lot were a bunch of mothe hens, she thought amusedly as the worried teens moved back obediently, however reluctantly. However, her amusement was cut short when...

"Oh!" a startled cry was forced from Tsunade's lips when she hovered over Naruto's belly

"What?"shouted everyone one else, in askance,  crowding her and Naruto yet again,  their worried faces aimed at their hokage .   Tsunade looked up from Naruto's belly to only to mee  Naruto's fearful face.

Seeing fear in Naruto was like a having water thrown in her face.

She had to calm down .

"Oh it nothing serious," she blagged, not wanting to panic the youngsters, " thought I felt something just now but I'm sure it was nothing"

Seeing disbelief on the teens faces, she forced a relaxed smile,

" Actually my concentration is a bit off since there are  quite a lot of you in here. If you could let me examine Naruto in private I'm sure I'll be able to figure out quickly what is wrong" she added with as much reassurance she could muster.

A few murmurs of digruntlement and suspicion erupted , however Naruto's peers all left the room, with much reluctance,  with Sakura and Sai on the tail

"and...eh Sakura.."

"Yes Tsunade-sama!"the pink haired girl perked up.

Maybe Tsunade would let her stay.

A quick glance at Naruto told her the blond boy felt the same.

However, both were soon disappointed

"..can you ask Shizune to come here soon as possible please? Tell her it's urgent"

"Hai .." the younger female replied, crestfallen and then left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her

 

 

When it came to medicine and medical conditions, very little tended to surprise Tsunade-hime.

However, today she was VERY surprised and confused.

Try as she might to think otherwise, she found the current situation she and Naruto were in very odd, as her hands hovered, once again, over Naruto's now exposed lower abdomen.

The seal, which normally didn't show was there... bold and evident for all to see

It didn't make any sense since the Kyuubi seemed to be locked away, tightly and securely.

So why were the seals showing? In addition she could detect some discrepancy in Naruto's chakra flow and most surprisingly, it had nothing to do with the demon fox- -but something else completely

"Is it serious? Has the seal weakened?"" Naruto asked anxiously, seeing the scowl deepen on the hokage's face.

"Shizune!" Tsunade shouted to the assistant who stood behind her, , ignoring Naruto's question.

Shizune had arrived a few minutes after Tsunade had called for her and had managed to take Naruto's blood samples within seconds of her arrival -through mere intimidation.

Naruto hadn't dared to refuse , seeing that the alternative Shizune had offered had sounded so much worse

One had to be careful, considering needlework was one of the the assistant's combat specialities.

So Naruto inevitably ended up taking the safer, less bloody choice and much to his astonishment, it had not been as gruesome as he'd imagined it'd be.

He still, however, did not like needles!

"Yes Tsunade-sama!" 

" Can you go get me the results for Naruto's blood test now please?"

"But Tsunade-sama, it's only been a few minutes since they've been sent to the lab" Shizune replied, confusion etched on her face, "and as you know, there's usually a long waiting list . The earliest we could possibly get them would be by tomorrow morning"

At that, Tsunade gave Shizune such a tempestuous glare, so intense it made younger female blanch in terror.

Naruto was also starting to feel unsettled.

"I don't give a toss Shizune! I am the bleedin' hokage and if I say I want the blood test results now, they'd bloody well better be done now ! So get it done...NOW!" she roared

"Yes Tsunade-hime" spluttered Shizune as she literally stumbled out of the door in her haste.

Left alone with the hokage, Naruto watched as Tsunade turned to stare at the blank wall before her scowling and rubbing her chin as if in deep contemplation.

The boy not knowing what to say or do.

The silence stretched for what seemed like hours, though in actual truth, it were only a few minutes.

Fed up of being ignored , Naruto decided to get answers

"Oi old hag, I'm still here you know"

Tsunade jumped, as if she's been somewhere far away.

"Oh...I'm sorry Naruto,  did you say something?" she answered absently.

Naruto noticed that she refused to look him in the eyes.

Naruto wasn't the cleverest tool in the toolbox , but even he could tell something was up and Tsunade was hiding something . Suddenly he felt tired .

He'd had this with the Kyuubi and he'd be damned if he was going to go through it all again with Tsunade

"C'mon Tsunade obbachan just tell me already coz I'm really getting fed up of guessin' stuff. First the Kyuubi and now you... I just can't take it anymo-o...oh shit!"

Naruto realised his mistake a little too late

"Kyuubi?" Tsunade's head snapped up at the mention of the demon fox, turning to glare furiously at the horrified teen who had a hand clamped over his mouth,

"Kyuubi Naruto?!" she screeched in near hysterics, suddenly grabbing the boy by the shoulders and shaking him vigorously which made him nauseous,

"C-can you stop . I think I'm gonna be sick" Naruto managed to say before he began to heave.

Fortunately for both of them there was an empty bedpan that Tsunade managed to get under Naruto before he started throwing up.

There was a long moment of silence only interrupted by Naruto heaving and throwing up.

It did nothing to alleviate Tsunade's worries and or, more importantly, her suspicions.

It simply couldn't be possible...

Unless the Kyuubi was involved somehow - then... it could...couldn't it?

After Naruto finished throwing up his ramen lunch- the sight almost putting him off his staple diet for good,  Tsunade covered the foul basin with a towel she'd found lying on top of a cabinet next to the head of Naruto's bed, and went to open the door; offering the pan to Sakura who was waiting with both Kakashi, who'd just arrived, and Sai outside.

The others had left to go on their various missions and duties but team seven had remained waiting ever vigilant for news of their comrade. Tsunade returned with a glass of water, grabbed from one of the nurses passing by outside, offering it to Naruto who drank it appreciatively.

Tsunade watched the boy as he drank, trying to find a proper way to broach the subject which was both on their minds, as tactfully as possible.

"So when were you going to tell me about the Kyuubi...huh Naruto?" she asked, dealing with what she felt was the simpler issue first,

" You know you have to tell somebody if anything happens to you because of the Kyuubi right?"

Naruto nodded.

There was nothing he could say... he was in the wrong

"So...what did it say?" Tsunade pushed

"He didn't say much" Naruto mumbled , his eyes averted.

At least he wasn't completely lying. T

he Kyuubi hadn't actually told him anything really, just a lot of weird stuff that hardly made no  sense except for the last part where it seemed pretty sure it'd be free soon.

The elders would have a fit if they knew this and Naruto knew if they ever found out, he could kiss his freedom goodbye.

For now he would keep it from Tsunade

Tsunade eyed him suspiciously.

The boy was lying …

...and if he wasn't,  he certainly was hiding something!

"If you say so" Tsunade shrugged in dismissal, causing Naruto to narrow his eyes in suspicion.

He couldn't believe Tsunade was leaving it at that.

Tsunade never left anything at just that!

She was usually so tenacious and persistent when she really wanted to know something , that more often than not Naruto and anyone else unfortunate to be her target, found themselves folding within seconds of her interrogation

The woman , when she applied herself, was quite formidable and  could give Ibiki a run for his money

However, who was he to shoot himself in the foot.

He welcomed any form of respite given, though some inkling told him it wasn't over

At first Tsunade thought to threaten the information out of him, but she knew that Naruto was stubborn and he could be infuriatingly tight-lipped when he chose to be, so she decided to let it go...

...for now.

Anyway, if her suspicions were correct, she was pretty sure Naruto was going to tell her himself what the Kyuubi had said. That is if Shizune would hurry back with the tests.

Both woman and adolescent sat the next few minutes in silence, with Tsunade staring at Naruto contemplatively.

"What?" Naruto squirmed, when the silence and Tsunade's open staring began to make him feel nervous again.

He didn't like her staring at him.

It unnerved him.

Tsunade coughed to clear her throat, averting her gaze, suddenly feeling hot.

Boy... this was not going to be easy

"Em..Naruto...can I ask you a personal question?" Tsunade started again, choosing to grab the bull by the horns

Naruto raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

He wasn't sure if  was going to like where this conversation was headed.

However, if he was going to find out what was wrong with him he would just have to play along

"Yeah sure, whatever" he answered hesitantly, lowering his gaze down to his hands .

If it was going to be an incriminating question , he was going to make sure he wouldn't look Tsunade in the eye, just in case he had to lie to her.

"Do you know how babies are made?"

"Wha- babies..? " spluttered Naruto, forgetting his resolve and looking up to stare incredulously at his hokage, who he was pretty sure was starting to show signs of going senile.

What the heck did babies have to do with anything?

"Just answer the question Naruto" insisted Tsunade, returning his stare with a grim serious one of her own

The tips of Naruto's ears, along with his face, went red with embarrassment .

He'd been so busy with training and chasing after Sasuke that he was ashamed to admit that he had little time to focus on anything else, especially baby making and therefore didn't know much.

He did , however know, that it was a rather delicate subject matter and it involved a man and a woman.

He also had his suspicions, considering he'd been in ero-sennin's company for more than three years.

He'd have to be incredibly dumb not to pick up on a few things.

However, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Tsunade by saying something that could very well be wrong and have himself labelled a pervert... he decided to be totally honest with Tsunade

"I'm not sure" he whispered in response, returning his gaze back down to his hands, "what does this have to do with me anyway?"

Plenty, believe me, thought Tsunade but she chose to ignore his question, preferring to give an improtu sex ed lesson instead "Well when a woman and man have sex...I'm pretty sure you know what sex is seeing that you've travelled a long time with Jiraiya" she emphasised knowingly, to which Naruto nodded meekly, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him, " if they time it right, a baby can be produced. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Although, somewhere deep inside him, he was secretly pleased that his suspicions had been right.

"A man and a man or a woman and a woman cannot have babies together coz they don't have the right ingredients to make one. It requires male and female parts " continued Tsunade.

Oh lord it was getting worse... …. and Naruto had to resort to merely nodding to show that he was listening.

" There's never been a time in history that a man's been able to give birth"

Well duh, Naruto thought as he gave Tsunade a pitying look, everyone knew women carried babies .

He'd seen a lot of pregnant women around in the village and he always thought they looked really pretty, despite the fact that they were usually fat and round like dango balls

" That is until..." Tsunade trailed off, unable to carry on.

No.. although she knew what she'd felt... it hadn't been confirmed yet.

Anyway... she'd know once Shizune got back.

"Until what..." Naruto asked , his curiosity piqued.

He still couldn't understand why they were having this embarrassing conversation in the first place and wished more than anything it would be over soon but he'd hear the old woman out

He ended up regretting it when Tsunade's next question, which was totally unexpected and more rhetorical than anything , bowled him over.

"You've had sex recently haven't you Naruto?"

"I-I-I wha-...how did ya...huh?"

What the hell was that about?

And how the bloody heck did they start off with babies and end up talking about his sex life?

(Even if his sex life consisted of just that one time with Sasuke, he'd always thought he'd loose his virginity to a woman...preferably Sakura...and not his best friend and a BOY!) And just how did Tsunade obbachan know...?

Was it the ANBU.

Did they hear something that night ?

Kakashi? ….Sasuke...?

No...even in his shock, Naruto had to acknowledge that Sasuke would be the last person to ever admit that they had sex to anyone else, even himself.

Thankfully, Shizune chose that moment to come in, panting, as if she'd been running for her life, holding a folder which clearly held Naruto's blood test results.

Whilst Naruto was still reeling from the shock of Tsunade's question, the older woman calmly took the folder offered by an exhausted Shizune and opened it, betraying no emotion as she read it.

Satisfied by what she read, she handed the folder back to Shizune, nodding for Shizune to read as well.

She chose to watch her assistant as the younger female began to read the results

"Oh... my... heaven help us" shrieked Shizune when she digested the implications of the results, her knees buckling beneath her as she fell on her knees onto the floor- her intense reponse stunning Naruto out of his horrified stupor, " how is it even possible?" she asked in a ne'er hysterical voice looking at Naruto as if he'd suddenly grown a pair of wings.

"What wrong with me teba? " Naruto asked shakily, seriously starting to freak out, his voice rising a notch higher, in a wave of hysteria matching Shizune's, "can someone please tell me already! Tsunade obbachan?" he added turning to the hokage his eyes shouting a desperate plea

Tsunade turned from the stumped Shizune to face a shaking Naruto, gently but firmly taking both his hands into hers; looking squarely into his eyes. He could feel her hands shaking and he could see hysteria threatening to spill from the depths of her eyes.

Tsunade was also panicking...

Which meant he was dying !

Oh my god... I'm am DYING! Naruto thought in horror

He was too young to die.

There was so much he still had to do.

He hadn't even become hokage yet.

"Congratulations Naruto..." Tsunade said in a shaky voice

This is it I'm done for...

...eh?

Wait a minute...

...congratulations...?

Naruto watery eyes searched Tsunade's in confusion.

What did she mean by congratulations...?

"Congratulations Naruto... " she repeated again , swallowing hard, "...you're PREGNANT!"

 

beat...

 

 

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said you're pregnant Naruto"

" I thought that's what y' saidd" Naruto answered with a calmness he didn't feel.

Hah ...funny joke

But when he looked into Tsunade's eyes he saw no mirth there...

A familiar sensation of spinning began, and for the first time Naruto welcomed it .

"Naruto!" screamed both Tsunade and Shizune.

He was falling...

Tsunade's and Shizune's faces became blurry and the darkness was soon upon him.

Ah...sweet comforting abyss


	7. Denial is not just a river in Egypt!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade trying to make Naruto accept his fate and a sinister antagonist gets curious!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update. Riddled with mistakes, I'm sure, but am trying to make up for lost time and catch up. As always , comments are useful and greatly appreciated. I know the tale has gone the predictible way that others feared but I feel I have a few surprises in store for you lot. To those who've already read this tale on ff.net, please bear with me. Also I have edited the earlier chapters so you might want to go through it again in case I've added or changed things.

**Somewhere in Konoha Hospital**

Naruto opened his eyes to fuzziness and blinding light.

He'd had the weirdest dream.

Something about babies and sex education- although he couldn't remember exactly what it was about.

But what he was sure about, was that it had been a really odd dream for him to have.

Babies?

Seriously...

At that thought he tried to remember his dream and once again it eluded him.

Oh well.. it probably wasn't important anyway. 

After all, dreams were just that.... dreams.

Sitting up, would not be such a bad idea, he thought to himself.

He'd never really been a lying down sort of fella anyway.

Decision made, he blinked rapidly, trying to clear the thick fog from his eyes and attempting to adjust to  the brightness of the hospital room he was in.

Naruto knew he was in hospital because he could smell the antiseptic and disinfectant that he'd come to associate with hospitals, curtsey of the many **_many_** times he'd found himself in a hospital room ( _through no fault of his own, mind! There were too may people interested in trying  to maim, abduct and  or kill him...*sigh_ ). However and somewhat very worryingly,  for the life of him he couldn't remember why he was there in the first place.

The blond wrinkled his nose as the smell seemed to grow stronger.

 Unsurprisingly, Naruto's sense of smell had always been sharper than most people, thanks to the evil parasite that resided in him (the damn mangy pest), but this was the the first time he'd ever been bothered by the hospital's smell before.

That too was also worrying

The smell was so strong he could feel a headache coming on, as well as a wave of nausea slowly building up from the pit of his stomach.

This is weird, he thought.

Very weird indeed...

"Oh... you're awake" a familiar female voice spoke softly.

Naruto was startled out of his musings to look up into a pair liquid golden eyes

"Baa-chan wh-" he started, weakly trying to get up, surprised that she'd been sitting by his bedside all this time and he hadn't even sensed she was there.

He must really be ill, he concluded

" Careful there" warned Tsunade as she reached over to help him up, when his arms suddenly trembled from the weight of his body

" Oi stop that..."Naruto swatted her hands away in irritation, "I can do it myself thank ya very much! I ain't a weak little girl you know!".

Just because for some unknown reason his chakra felt the weakest it's ever been in his entire life, he was not willing to let Tsunade or anyone else help or pity him .

Tsunade arched an eyebrow in amusement, raising her hands back in mock defeat

" You could have fooled me" Tsunade muttered under her breath as she settled back into the chair she'd asked Shizune to bring in whilst Naruto had been unconscious.

" What ? " Naruto spat at Tsunade, having caught her comment, " I am not a girl!".

" I meant with you and the baby I-"

" Baby?? What the hell are talki-- oh"

Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes popped out in horrified understanding, locking with  Tsunade's soft sympathetic ones as memories started flooding back.

The dream he'd been trying to remember came back...

..and no ...it hadn't been a dream!

It'd actually happened

It was a living nightmare!!!

After fainting during Sasuke's trial a Tsunade had kindly  informed him that the reason he'd been feeling weird and ill for the past couple weeks or so was because he was 'suposedly' pregnant.

Pregnant?

Ha...!

Total and utter bull crap!

Who did Tsunade think she was kidding with a joke that lame, " thought Naruto as he felt laughter starting to build up within him.

He was Uzumaki Naruto!

As if anyone could dare pull  wool over his eyes!

He wasn't known as Konoha's Pranksters Prince for nothing!

 

Tsunade watched as Naruto started to laugh and shook her head in pity and empathy for the poor little sod.

'Damn kid's lost it, she thought sadly

Not at all that surprising, seeing that he now faced  the most daunting fate and trauma of being the first ever pregnant male in the history of the Ninja, if not the whole world. A stronger man would've crumbled just the same

She silently watched him as his hysterical laughter slowly simmered down to out-of-breath chuckles

" Se-ri-ous-sly ba-achan" Naruto panted, " That was a good one, nearly made me pee myself. That has got ta be the funniest thing I've ever heard. Cant believe you almost had me  convinced that I was ...you know ( _even knowing it was a joke, Naruto still couldn't bring himself to say the word_.)" he rambled , his voice laced with mirthful and mocking rebuke ,"And to think I fell for it so hard  I actually passed out ha ha.."  huffing and clutching at his sore sides,

"You  got me real good this time ol' hag- real good. I ain't never gonna live it down when Kiba and Sai find out ha ha ha"

Tsunade let out a long sigh.

The boy was being verbose  which could only mean one thing

 

**Denial.**

 

And to be fair, who could really blame him

What she knew of Naruto, it was gonna take her a long time convincing  him that she hadn't been joking and  how much she wished she had been.

They were in **BIG** trouble!

 Deciding to wait until Naruto had gotten over his fit of the giggles, Tsunade was trying to figure out a way for the boy to believe.

It was important that he was hat he understood and accepted his situation, if they were to salvage something out of the unexpected disaster they were now found themselves in.

 

Meanwhile,  Naruto whose chuckles had rapidly died down at the grave look  on the Hokage's face gave, was beginning to feel anxious and uneasy, especially when Tsunade did not say anything to reassure him or even scold him.

 

He'd called her an old hag after all ...

 

...and  **NOTHING?!!**

 

That  insult always guaranteed at least a threat, from the Hokage, of punching his lights out,  but so far she just kept watching at him with a grim expression he was afraid to acknowledge

" Baa-chan?" he ventured cautiously, tension slowly replacing the rapidly dying gaiety he'd felt only moments before, " it was a joke... right?" he asked his brilliant blue eyes searching Tsunade's warm golden ones.

Tsunade reached out her hands to cradle Naruto's,  the pair having collapsed limply onto his laps and squeezed them tightly as she let out another long sigh.

Her reaction told Naruto everything he needed to know and he  was **WAN'T**  having it!

"Naruto... I..."

"NO!"

Naruto snatched his hands from hers in dismay and anger

" It cant be... NO....no, no, no....you're lying!"

" Naruto its true." pleaded Tsunade, "I have never lied to you before and I won't start now . All your results say you're preg-"

"Don't say it" Naruto cut in with a hiss, as he raised his hands to cover his ears.

He knew he was acting like a brat, but then again, Tsunade was acting like a lunatic .

 

Men couldn'get pregnant!

 

They just couldn't!

 

And even if they could , he definitely wasn't .

 

It **just** wasn't possible!

 

" Naruto look at me "  beseeched Tsunade, yet again, as the blond boy turned away from her," I know this is something that we – er – never thought could happen but it has and we need to deal wi- "

"We ain't dealin' with anything coz there nothing to deal with!!" interrupted Naruto, turning back to glare furiously at Tsunade," let's just pretend we never had this conversation and just let me go home"  he added wearily , though there was there was a stubborn glint in his eyes as he met Tsunade's challengingly . He was going home and forgetting all this nonsense and no one was going to stop him

Naruto whipped off the hospital bed covers and readied himself to get up and walk away from the crazy that seemed to have infected Tsunade. Maybe it wasn't him that was needed to be in a hospital bed. The woman had been looking rather run down of late , he thought as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and started to push himself up 

" **GAKI!! SIT THE FUCK DOWN AND JUST SHUT THE HELL UP**!"

 Tsunade shouted, startling both Naruto and Shizune; the former collapsing back on the bed in surprise, whilst the latter, who'd only  just arrived, almost dropped the scrolls that she held in her hands when she re-entered the room. 

Tsunade had sent Shizune to retrieve some important  scrolls from the restricted section of Konoha's archive facility.

Only the Hokage and a few select individuals whom, unfortunately for Tsunade, included Danzo, Homura and Koharu, had access to this section because of the number of dangerous and secretive sealed jutsu and  artifacts that it harboured .

Fortunately , the scrolls Tsunade had sent Shizune to obtain had been locked with a special seal that only the Hokage and Shizune, as the Hokage's right hand, knew and for the umpteenth time since her agony filled wait for Shizune to return, Tsunade thanked her lucky stars for her predecessors' foresight and paranoia. There were still some secrets kept from even the elders and village leaders, passed from one Hokage to the other, that Tsunade and those she deigned worthy and loyal knew of. These scrolls were one of them

Shizune cleared her throat to gain her mistress' attention, holding out the scrolls to her.

" I brought the scrolls just as  you asked Tsunade-sama" 

Tsunade took the offered scrolls with nod of thanks,

" and er- Sakura-san and the others are curious to know as to when they would be allowed to er- um- see Naruto-kun" Shizune added as she nodded towards Naruto, giving him a slight smile .

Naruto glared venomously back at her in response , knowing  full well that Shizune was well aware of his 'condition' seeing as she'd been there when Tsunade read the results .

Frankly, Naruto felt betrayed by Shizune-nee's acceptance of his presumed situation.

He could fathom Tsunade coming up with and buying into her own crazy theories since she had always been one sandwich short of a picnic...

 

...but Shizune ?

 

He'd always had her down as a sensible realist, a no nonsense and reliable sort of person...

...but then again having to work for Tsunade,  dealing with her short temper, violent outbursts, alcoholic tendencies, gambling and indolence on a day to day basis was bound to take its toll on even the strongest ninja, and maybe  it had become just  too much for the poor lady .

Maybe she too, had lost her mind after reaching her limit

"Stall them for a while and don't let them know about the pregnancy"

Naruto visibly winced at the term but Tsunade ignored him and carried on,

" I do not want them knowing for now and I want absolutely no one and I mean NO ONE Shizune, knowing about this situation understand me" she added forcefully

'Hai"  the dark-haired woman's dutifully answered, as she turned to leave the room,  giving Naruto a small comforting smile before she quickly disappeared out of the room.

Naruto a wave of uneasiness rise  at the other woman's departure.

Despite his recent unjust thoughts towards Shizune, he still felt having her in the room would've offered at least one **_almost_** sane person in the room. Also he was scared to be left alone with Tsunade and her awful convictions.

"Now that you've had your mini strop, it's time we had a proper discussion" Tsunade dictated, in tone that left no room for argument, and which honestly,  ruffled the teen's feather's.

"Well I'm sorry to break it to you baba, but as I said b'fore when you were **obviously** not listenin', we ain't gonna be having any discussion of the  sort!" he spat back obstinately, his arms crossed over his chest defensively, a stubborn pout and a sharp glare  aimed  at Tsunade," There ain't nothing to discuss dattebayo!"

The Hokage did not immediately respond or lash out like boy would have predicted, but instead settled to watch him like a hawk that'd just sighted its prey and was about to take a dive. Uncomfortable with this , Naruto stubbornly glared back, challenging her to say otherwise .

Their stare off seemed to  last forever, that is until Tsunade looked away , raising her hand to her temple, feeling big migraine coming on.

She'd known talking to Naruto was going to be difficult, when she thought over it whilst he'd been unconscious, but for him to completely shut down refuse to listen or understand... was something she had honestly not anticipated.

If it'd been any other guy, she wouldn't be so taken aback, but somehow, she'd just assumed that Naruto would've been a little bit more open minded and less freaked out by the idea since he was a jinchuuriki,  which, Tsunade suspected, was the reason he was up in the duff in the first place.

The three years Tsunade had known Naruto, weird and bizzarre  occurrences had always seemed to persistently haunt  him,   so she had naively assumed that he'd take this mishap better than most would , just like every other freakish incident that has occurred to him in his short life. However, this was proving to be his limit, jinchuuriki or not.

If only I could show the baby to him, maybe he'd believe me, she thought tiredly as she lowered her head in dejection at Naruto's triumphant look. However, she knew it was still too early see anything on the ultrasound. It was lucky she'd been able to sense it when she  had scanned...

 

... wait a minute ...

 

Sense!

 

That was it!

 

Tsunade's head shot up,  a wide smile growing rapidly on her face, making Naruto eye her with fear and suspicion .

"Naruto- give me your hands" she ordered excitedly

"Why?" came the trepidacious response, as Naruto unconsciously drew his hands up and into his chest defensively

"Just do it baka!" Tsunade barked back her already short temper, starting to make an appearance

The blond tentatively offered his hands, which Tsunade grabbed with muttered "che- you'd think I bite" as she led his hands to his navel

"W-what are y' doin'?" he stuttured out fearfully as Tsunade's hands started glowing green and he could feel her chakra though his hands.

"Shh- be quiet or I'll lose my concentration" she snapped, her eyes closed,

"...and close your eyes and focus on my chakra"

"W-why should I? W-what are y-"

"Naruto please for the first time in your life can you just listen and do what you're told without arguing back" interjected Tsunade tiredly,".. If only you would realise how much trouble we're in...  please, can you just do it for me?"

"Fine" Naruto conceded in exasperation, letting out a long sigh. What harm could it do anyway?  There was no baby and  Tsunade was going to realise soon,  that all she was doing wasting her time and he wasn't really preg...

Gah... bleugh!

He couldn't even bear thinking  the ghastly word, let alone believe it.

However, Naruto  obeyed and closed his eyes as Tsunade asked and waited. The sensation of Tsunade's chakra flowing into his hands reminded him of a similar incident when he'd lent Chiyo-obaasan his chakra when they resurrected Gaara. Funny how this time  the flow of  chakra was the other way round.

"Now I want you to concentrate Naruto and using a small amount of your chakra, follow the path my chakra has laid out for you" came Tsunade's soft calm voice that signalled that she was now in what most people recognised as her 'doctor mode',

"... can you see it?"

"Yeah I can see it," came Naruto's short reply as he saw, or for use of a better term, 'sensed' Tsunade's blue-green chakra,  as it led deep into the core of his navel. He followed  the chakra trail and was starting to wonder what the hell he was doing until...

...that is ...

...until...

...until he saw  **'IT'** !

He gasped deeply and his eyes popped open, to stare at Tsunade, who by this time had withdrawn her hands at the sound, her steady gaze meeting his unfalteringly as if to say 'I told you I wasn't lying'.

"T-this cant be..." came Naruto's breathless whisper as his gaze fell back onto his glowing hands that still hovered over his navel.

"Now do you believe me?"

Naruto wanted to say no but he knew that it would be a lie

He had sensed his regular coil of blue chakra intertwined with the red hot chakra of the Kyuubi, the latter which had flared up a bit at Tsunade's invasive and foreign chakra.

However, the most shocking had been the additional radiating small pool of chakra that he intrinsically knew hadn't been there before. A steady stream of both his and the Kyuubi's chakra currently flowed to this third pool. It had  felt like a separate life force all together.

There was no doubt about it now!

He'd felt it...

Damn!

He could still feel **'IT'**!

 

He really was pregnant!

 

It was official... his life was over now!

 

As if he hadn't been enough of a freak as it was!

 

"Tsunade baa-chan, what am I going do now?" Naruto whimpered, with the most broken expression on his face, Tsunade's heart nearly broke

"What am I going to do?"

Tsunade stood up from her chair, sat herself on the edge of Naruto's bed and gathered the stricken boy in her ample bosomed embrace Naruto made no effort to fight off. In fact, Naruto sank further into the warm, sweet smelling softness of Tsunade's hug and was surprised to feel wetness on his cheeks.

He was crying

"Hush now child," soothed Tsunade as she gently stroked his shaking back as his sobs escalated, but fortunately for him, they were muffled by the hokage's gigantic breasts,

 "We'll figure something out, don't you worry!"

 

 

**Konoha; Somewhere underground**

"What's the status report" asked the bandaged man

"The jinchuuriki collapsed after the trial and the Hokage is seeing to him" answered a masked individual who knelt before the first man, "she has been with him for over two hours. His team is not even allowed to be in with him."

"Hmm"

The bandaged man raised his only available hand to his chin , rubbing it as he digested the information.

The other man remained kneeling, his masked face bowed and facing the floor.

"Is that all you have to report?" asked the bandaged man after a few minutes of silence

"Well- there is something- though I don't know how relevant it is" the masked subordinate answered hesitantly

"Do go on"

"At one point the Hokage sent her assistant to collect something from the restricted section of the archives, but we couldn't follow as it is of bounds for us and any attempt to do so would have triggered the alarm. Unfortunately, we do not know what she got out."

"Interesting..." came the reply, "... very interesting indeed."

At the new information, the bandaged man seemed lost in contemplation.

"May I take your leave now sir?"

"Yes yes" the bandaged man waved the man off absently .

The information he'd just got was too intriguing.

"Wait!" the bandaged man suddenly called out before the masked man disappeared

"Hai Danzou-sama?"

"Make sure to keep an eye on the jinchuuriki and report to me everything you discover, even if it's the most minuscule, insignificant detail- understand? "

"Hai!"

"You may go" Danzou said in dismissal to the masked root ninja

"Hai" replied the ninja and with a 'poof' he was gone.

Things were going to get interesting soon, thought Danzou.

Very very interesting indeed...


	8. Whose your baby daddy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto finally accepts but Tsunade NEEDS to know his baby daddy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time peeps. Still alive and God willing will continues to be so. Just lost interest in writing but am back. Hated the ending of Naruto so am going to finish it MY WAY (lol) ! As usual, there will lotsa errors but you guys know the drift. Holla at me if you notice anything etc... etc...  
> Laters <3

Naruto felt embarrassed.

Naruto felt ashamed.

He was crying...

He hardly ever cried, let alone sob his guts out in front of the Hokage, whilst being cradled like a baby in a heaving chest of voluptuous breasts.

As if his dignity hadn't  already been in tatters - he was also a pregnant sixteen year old BOY who also happened to be a massive big sissy.

The way things were going , he could very well kiss his masculinity goodbye, start wearing dresses and change his name to Kimiko.

But what annoyed him the most,  try as he might to stop them-  were the tears. They kept flooding in, bucket loads full and it seemed there'd be no end to the watershed.

In addition, Tsunade was currently cooing and hushing, rocking him back and forth whilst stroking his hair and trembling back, as she would an infant.

He'd finally hit rock bottom!

 

however...

 

And, despite the feelings of immense mortification and shame that tore through him like a gigantic shredder....

 

...somehow having Tsunade coddle and comfort him felt kinda...

  
...nice...

...safe...

...secure.

He imagined the vast sensations and emotions he was experiencing were what other children felt when their parents hugged and comforted them.  
A dull ache throbbed in his chest as he remembered how he'd never had that security. How, when he had been small, he'd watched with an aching longing and painful envy in his heart as his peers ( _they hadn't been proper friends back then_ ) hugged their mothers and fathers when the latter came to pick them up from the academy or the playground. How he had wished and prayed so fervently, back then, for someone to hug him and comfort him when he was sad,lonely frightened or hurt ( _which had been almost all the time in his case_ )...

... but no one ever came.

And now here he was, being held so lovingly like he was someone important by someone who cherished him and thought he was worth the trouble...  
…and he'd never been more miserable in his life!

After what felt like eternity, his sobs finally died down and he gently and reluctantly (though he would deny feeling the latter most passionately if asked) pulled himself out of Tsunade's warm embrace .  
His eyes shied away from the Hokage's soft questioning ones as the embarrassment of his meltdown washed over him.  
The room suddenly felt a bit too warm for comfort.  
Understanding his need to collect himself, Tsunade relinquished her hold of him, got up from the bed, sat herself back in her chair and waited.

"A-are ya sure it ain't a tumour?" a voice raspy and broken from crying finally spoke after a long silence- watery cerulean eyes warily meeting molten gold ones  
Tsunade arched an eyebrow at the question but then saw the desperation in Naruto's eyes and understood perfectly.  
Naruto was never one to mope and wallow in his own misery and whilst both knew what they'd sensed wasn't a tumour , Tsunade knew Naruto needed to use his own way to cope with the heavy news... namely,overcoming obstacles by bulldozing through with brashness and wilful ignorance.... and decided to play along.

"A tumour Naruto... seriously?" she replied in mock exasperation, "...since when does a tumour have it's own chakra brat?"

"Maybe it's a chakra tumour or somethin'" Naruto argued back, just for the sake of arguing really, though even to him, it sounded ridiculous and half arsed.  
Tsunade gave an unladylike snort at that, which had the boy pouting,

" Well it could happen" he mumbled grumpily

"I can assure you Naruto it cant ..." replied Tsunade smirking indulgently, "...and do you know why that is, you silly boy?"

Naruto grimaced and grumbled at the 'silly boy' comment. When no other  _'helpful'_ response seemed to be forthcoming from the sulking blond, Tsunade carried on anyway,

"It's because there is no such thing as a chakra tumour"

"Well I bet when we got up this morning there weren't no such thing as a pregnant man," countered the blond boy bitterly, "... but lo and behold, what do we have here? ...A bleedin' pregnant man!" he added sardonically whilst pointing to to his flat belly, eyeing it with extreme distaste.

"Fair enough" conceded Tsunade, allowing him that little victory, " however much we wish it, we both know this is not a 'chakra tumour' as you so boldly put it...but a baby"

"Yeah" came Naruto's resigned reply, as he carelessly slumped back onto the mountain of pillows behind him, staring dejectedly and forlornly before him, " it really sucks to be me right now!"he added, as if to speaking to himself  
Although she felt for the boy and his predicament, Tsunade couldn't help but feel that they had to deal with Naruto's pregnancy as soon as possible...  
... that is, before the wrong sort of people got wind of it. And as much as she wanted to delay having to deal with situation for as long as possible, for the boy who so reminded her of her late brother Nawaki and lover Dan, they really did not have the luxury of time to do so.  
With a resigned sigh, she put her serious Hokage face on.

"Now that we've established that it's a baby and not a tumour, we need to think of what to do next" she spoke, startling Naruto from his vacant brooding

"M' sorry what?" answered Naruto dazedly, when he finally realised Tsunade had been addressing him.

"Pay attention gaki..." scolded Tsunade, " ...now is not the time to be spacing out. Anyway, as I said...we need to decide what we have to do next."

"Oh"came the dejected sigh.

Naruto didn't want to do that. If he could have it his own way, he'd just ignore the problem and hope it somehow disappeared, but he knew that it was wishful thinking on his part. Anyway, there'd be no way hiding a big, fat round belly when he started to show. Never being one to run away from his problems in any case, he was going to have to deal with this disaster now, whether he liked it or not. But that didn't mean he couldn't grumble about it.  
However, one look at Tsunade's face told him that  grumbling and complaining wouldn't have a positive outcome for him and for once in his life, he wisely decided to keep his trap shut.  
" Now first things first" Tsunade started again, bending over to pick up the scrolls she'd dropped on the floor when she'd got up to comfort him , " since I didn't sense any of the Kyuubi's chakra in the baby's core- I'm going to go on a limb here and assume the other parent is someone else. Someone human? "

Tsunade's question startled Naruto.

Parent?

What did she mean by parent?

Wasn't it obvious that he was the little brat's parent since he was the one bloody carrying it? Was Tsunade finally loosing her marbles as he initially suspected, thought Naruto as he eyed the Hokage in confusion  
Despite his misgivings about the Hokage's sanity, her question niggled at something in the back of his mind, something he'd forgotten...  
-something that felt very important and was certain he wasn't going to like one bit once he remembered what it was.

When Naruto didn't respond, gazing at with  confusion painted all over his face, Tsunade grimaced at his obtuseness

  
"What I mean is who is the other father of your baby Naruto?"she repeated, stressing the word other, technically Naruto was it's 'mother'

Naruto's heart stilled, when the meaning of Tsunade's question finally sunk in...

Oh crap, he thought  
Of course for there to be a baby, two people had to be involved in the making …  
….and the only person he'd ever done anything that could possibly ( _though it proved that it could **DEFINITELY**_ **)** result in making a baby had been...

  
'OH CRAP!' Naruto mentally screamed as his heart almost gave out in horrified realisation...

Sasuke!

Could his day get any worse...

 

* * *

 

Sasuke was being discharged from the hospital.

He could not wait to get out of the stifling, suffocating place... with it's never-ending white walls and heavy antiseptic smells. His head still felt heavy and according to Neji, would continue to do so, though both he and Hiashi both assured him that he would not notice after a while.

Sasuke snorted at that thought.

He could understand Neji telling him that, since the older boy also had a similar seal placed on him, but he couldn't for the life of him, understand how Hiashi could know with any certainty, since he was from the head family and had never been sealed in his life.  
Typical of elders of this village, he thought bitterly. They inflicted their own assumptions and opinions on things they had absolutely no knowledge of and then made decisions that easily ruined lives more than they saved them.  
The worst transgression, according to Sasuke, was that most of them would probably justify their actions by claiming it was all for the sake of the village, when all it was, was a power battle between the higher ups with unsuspecting innocents  making up the majority of casualties.

Well... things were going to change very soon.

That was Sasuke's silent promise to Konoha

"Sasuke -sama, it's time to go" Neji's deep stoic voice broke into his thoughts, startling him out of his reverie. He was grateful for his Uchiha breeding, as well as the three years he'd suffered under Orochimaru's tutelage. Having to fake loyalty and obedience to that disgusting snake had trained him well in hiding his feelings and thoughts from ever showing outwardly .Fortunately, though Neji had managed to sneak up on him, surprising him even, Sasuke had not flinched.  
To show any emotion would have been totally unacceptable.  
He had perfected his mask. And he would not make allowances for any imperfection or weakness in himself. He was the Uchiha heir!  
However, he made a mental note to keep an eye out for the Hyuuga. The fact that he'd been able to approach him without Sasuke noticing, filled him with unease. Also, there was something about Neji's milky eyes that made him feel like he had to keep his guard up whenever the other boy was near. Must be the effects of the seal, thought Sasuke as he mentally shook himself from his musings. It was neither the time or the place for them.  
Neji, who was now his assigned 24/7 escort and guard for the next month ( _much to his extreme displeasure_ ) had just returned from retrieving his discharge papers as well as signing both of them out from the hospital ward and was currently gesturing towards the exit as an indication for them to leave  
\- as if saying it to Sasuke hadn't been enough.

"Hn" was the only response he felt necessary to give the older boy and without sparing him a glance, Sasuke headed towards the door.

He did not acknowledge the pretty nurses who stole flirty glances at him, or seemed to register the attention he garnered from the flock of female patients and visitors who had begun to gather around him, pushing and shoving each other to get a glimpse of Konoha's most handsome and eligible bachelor, batting their eyelashes furiously as he walked past.  
If he'd already boasted ( _not that he ever would!)_ a massive fan-base of females before leaving Konoha, the Hokage's decree seemed to have tripled the amount of female interest the Uchiha garnered.

Just his luck... having more females fawning over him was the last thing he wanted or appreciated.

Thankfully he hadn't run into Sakura or Ino yet.

Stupid elders, stupid Hokage...

Whilst Sasuke had his back to him, Neji tried tamper down his growing amusement, a little vindictive and sadistic smile fighting to show on his usually solemn face, as he watched women shamelessly throwing themselves at the Uchiha, who in turn looked extremely unimpressed despite his rigid countenance. Maybe escorting the Sasuke, wasn't going to so bad after all. Who knew, it could even end up being very entertaining...

 

* * *

 

 

"Who is the father?" Tsunade asked again when Naruto did not answer.

She could tell the boy was agitated as his hands shook violently... and to be honest, she was feeling rather unsettled herself.

Maybe she'd gotten it wrong.

Maybe the tiny little thing growing in Naruto's belly was the Kyuubi's spawn after all. And if that was true- all hell would break loose if the council and elders ever found out, let alone the rest of the ninja world ... which included Akatsuki.  
But she hadn't sensed the Kyuubi's chakra in the baby's core, although the Kyuubi's chakra had formed a makeshift womb that was sheltering the child and was constantly supplying life sustaining chakra to the baby, along with Naruto's chakra.

No - the baby's chakra had been pure and innocent- it'd had none of Kyuubi's malice or hatred

" Naruto-" she urged as the boy drew into himself ,his arms tightly hugging his wobbly knees, eyes fearful and filled with an other emotion Tsunade couldn't identify

"I c-cant" came the shaky reply, barely a whisper

" Is it the Kyuubi's?"

a beat...

" Is that why you can...t- tell me?" the Hokage questione fearfully herself, her voice almost inaudible. It didn't bear thinking about if her fears were confirmed. The back lash would be horrifying!

Tsunade held her breath as she tensely waited for an answer that would seal both their fates. Naruto turned his scared eyes to Tsunade and she saw something akin to shame in them which made a her heart sink. That was the other emption she'd noticed earlier.

Things were not looking good.

"Naruto-" she pushed more urgently , " you have to answer me. Is the baby the Kyuubi's or not ?"

As Tsunade's question finally seemed to register to the boy, he looked at her in utter befuddlement  
.  
"Wha... What!!? NO! No... heck no, the baby ain't the Kyuubi's!" he answered looking offended at the implication of her question , all shame momentary forgotten, "That's just gross and totally messed up baa- chan!!"

Tsunade let out a large breath of air she hadn't realised she'd been holding 'til then . Although she'd been more than certain that the baby wasn't a demon's spawn , it was very comforting to have solid confirmation. It would save a whole load of hassle in the nearby future- of which she was very sure.  
However, the question still remained

"Then who is the baby's father Naruto?"

This time, Naruto's gaze fell and a redness rapidly crept up to his face .

'At least he doesn't look afraid any more,' thought Tsunade when she saw his blush, 'just very embarrassed.'

"Er- d-do I have ta answer?" he stammered pleadingly, looking everywhere else but the Hokage, fiddling his fingers nervously.Although the mood around them was tense and strained, Tsunade had a big enough sense of humour to appreciate that this was the first time she'd ever seen Naruto truly embarrassed or shy. A small amused smile blossomed on her lips

"I'm afraid you have to" she answered with a tiny chuckle , which in turn made Naruto go even more red, if that were possible . If they had been in a different situation, Tsunade would've teased the boy endlessly, but they had no time to mess about.

"As I'm sure you're well aware of, if your current situation ever got out, god forbid, it wouldn't sit well with the council and the rest of the village. We've just got them to accept you, which is mainly due to the whole Pain fiasco, however, a good relation between you and the rest of the village is relatively new and fragile territory and we don't want to break that delicate trust if we can help it. So I really need to know everything Naruto- if I'm to help you to the best of my abilities as Hokage and as your adopted aunt or whatever relationship we have between us" implored Tsunade, all signs of mirth gone

Naruto slowly looked up to see the determination and truth in Tsunade's warm golden eyes.

Damn it... he hated it when she was right .  
However, inwardly he was deeply touched by her sincerity towards him. The woman considered him family and she would do anything for him.

" Fine" he conceded resignedly, " I'll tell you who it is as long as you promise not tell anyone else... okay?" he added, stressing the last words emphatically- locking his gaze with Tsunade's.

Tsunade blinked... and hesitated.  
As Hokage, she sometimes had to make decisions that were against the moral norm for the greater good of the village and that included breaking promises. But when she looked into Naruto's determined , naïve blue eyes, she knew that she would not break this one.  
Hokage or not... that is , unless it was beneficial to Naruto's cause  
"I promise" she answered readily  
Naruto searched her eyes for what seemed a long time and then, seemingly satisfied by the what he saw there , he instantly hid face in his hands as he couldn't bear look at Tsunade as he confessed. Tsunade stifled a giggle. Coy Naruto was so just adorable.

"We-ell ?"

For some reason Tsunade was quite excited to find out the identity of Naruto's baby daddy. Honestly speaking,she was still surprised that Naruto had managed to get himself knocked up in the first place.  
Despite his long travels with the most depraved and perviest man known to the whole universe, it'd always seemed to Tsunade, that Naruto had managed to retain his innocence and purity.  
She would have even betted on him still being a virgin, since the only girl he'd ever showed any interest in always seemed to reject him .  
The fact that he was pregnant seemed to prove her very wrong in her assumptions. That and the common knowledge that she'd never been really good at placing bets should have forewarned her of how much she'd misread the boy.  
" It's ….'ske" Naruto whispered so suddenly and so quietly, his voice barely audible, Tsunade almost missed the fact he'd spoken at all

"I'm sorry , come again. I didn't quite catch that"

"It's... S-sasuke" a beet-red Naruto whispered again, slightly louder, his face still hidden in his hands; the embarrassment and humiliation of his revelation too much for him to handle  
Fortunately, unfortunately for him, Tsunade heard him properly this time.

There was a crash, as very precious, irreplaceable and priceless scrolls fell to the floor, once again.

" Oh my..." was all she could manage. She definitely hadn't seen that coming...

Then again... when she really thought about it carefully...

...it now all made perfect sense.


	9. Truth Revealed...Somewhat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsunade and Naruto plan on what to do next... like tell people , which Naruoto is not happy about! Karin misses Sasuke and Tsunade realises Naruto exceeds in denial. He is like the Emperor Of Denial!

**A Little Village a Few Miles From Konoha**

_The red-headed bespectacled female had never felt so... nervous... worried..._

  
_...so restless before in her life._

  
_It' was going on to almost four weeks since he'd been gone..._  
_Nearly a bleedin' whole month, and they'd still not heard a single peep out of him!_  
_She felt like she would soon go mental...crazy...insane from the radio silence_  
_And what if-_  
_...he forgot about them..._  
_...her to be precise?_  
_Made friends again with the Konoha scum that clearly couldn't take a hint when he'd cut ties with them_  
_-or fell in love with some scheming, big breasted Konoha kunoichi_

 

**_THE HELL!_ **

 

_The thought alone was enough to drive her to the edge of insanity!_

_No..._

_...NEVER!_

_That could never happen!!_  
_Sasuke would never let something like that happen …_  
_...would he?_

 _NO!!!_  
_Sasuke was hers and no one else's!_  
_Hers alone!_  
_And she would damned if anyone, be it the whole of world or Akatsuki, tried to come between her and Sasuke!_  
_If they did, she'd make sure to kill them as slowly and as painfully ( **she'd learnt a few tricks during her stint with Orochimaru** ) as was possible, she swore, a maniacal  grin slowly growing on her face._  
_Soon she was revelling in thoughts of the very many ways she would torture and kill those Konoha brats who had dared to try and separate her from Sasuke , her fingers moving deftly as she absently folded clothes she'd picked up from the laundry room in the self service inn that they were currently staying in; mind completely lost to the world._  
_Though, normally, she really hated doing laundry_

_"Having pervy thoughts about molesting Sasuke again Karin?" an annoying and grating voice spoke and was soon followed by the ever present sound of Suigetsu slurping from his sippy cup ( **as she liked to call it)** , making her jump in the process._

_" Shut up you disgusting little worm"Karin snarled back venomously , "can you stop sneaking up on me like the slimy creep that you are" she added as she swivelled round swinging a punch aimed in the general direction from which Suigetsu voice had come from._  
_However, before her punch could connect she, being the amazing sensory type kunoichi that she was, felt a sharp surge of chakra infused with murderous intent spike from the ginger-haired giant sat in one of the dark corner of the room: and managed to stop her self from pummelling the snot out of the white haired freak._

_" My my my, aren't we a little bit touchy today?"smirked Suigetsu as he took another long noisy slurp from his water container, completely undaunted by the fury aimed at him from the only female in the room " I don't suppose it is that time of the month already? Or is the thought of Sasuke possibly shacked up with a beautiful well endowed Konoha female got you all frazzled...hmmm?" he asked , a wicked shark toothed grin pasted on his pale face._

_He sat himself down on one of the tatami mats that happened to be directly behind her._

_"Shuddup" she spat back_

_Gah..._

_She was more peeved by the fact that the slimy worm was right and seemed to_ _always_ _know what she was thinking._

_"I mean, to be honest- from what little I've seen of Konoha's kunoichi," Suigetsu continued , pausing to take another long and loud drawl from his cup, " … in terms of charm, looks and body, you, my dear, are trailing behind by a long run. You seem to lack...um...abundance in certain departments. " he added evilly, his gaze roving over her chest or lack there-of before rising to settle on her face, "It's really not that surprising you haven''t got Sasuke attention"_

_Suigetsu waited and watched as Karin 's face turned a painful shade of red deeper than the colour of her hair, her mouth gaping like a fish, spluttering in an effort to come up with a retort._  
_Soon, he would see the results his little sly digs intended to incur._  
_And to give her credit, Karin did not disappoint_  
_As soon as she noticed where he had been looking and what he was implying, she jumped to her feet ,clenched fists in the air , clothes, all but forgotten, tumbling to the floor in a messy pile._

_"Why you little..." she screamed, about to lunge herself at the smug faced youth, who seemed completely unaffected by her out burst_

_"Ah ah ah" he warned in a voice cool and calm, index finger wagging in front of her and stopping her in motion, tipping his head to his left towards back of the room. He did not have to say anything. Karin immediately understood as she sensed an increase in foreign chakra reverberating in her core. Her eyes followed his tip to see Juugo, no longer sitting down , but crouching and watching her intently , like a lion eyeing up his prey;- one of his normally auburn eyes, turned yellow and a sinister smirk appearing on his face._  
_Fortunately, she could see no tattoos...yet._

_Shit..._

_Juugo..._

_Not good..._

_Damn bastard Suigetsu had set her up!_

_Slowly she lowered her raised fists and forced her body to relax, taking in a long deep breath, making sure she didn't break eye contact with the red-headed giant who looked ready to pounce and tear her and Suigetsu to shreds._  
_She could sense the smug smile on the latter's face and silently promised herself that she would beat him senseless if ever they found themselves alone and Juugo wasn't around._  
_Refocusing on the dangerous situation before her, she smiled at Juugo, in what she hoped was a calm and reassuring manner,_

_"You alright there Juugo?" she asked slowly and softly_

_He didn't answer._

_"Juugo, its me Karin" she tried again, pacifically, her hands raised in submission._

_Only to be met with more silence_  
_For what seemed like eternity, Juugo continued to stare at her... and as time trickled on, Karin was beginning to feel nervous._  
_A slow bead of sweat dribbled down her back._  
_Then suddenly, Juugo shook his head like a dog out of water,_  
_...and when his gaze met hers again , his eyes were back to normal._  
_Karin let out a sigh of relief._  
_That was close_

_"Did you say something Karin" Juugo asked dazedly , as if he'd just woken up_

_"Nah" she replied, her voice a bit shaky, " Just wanted to know what you wanted to eat for supper later, is all"_

_"I don't mind really" Juugo answered detachedly already sitting himself back into the dark corner, " Get whatever you guys want"_

_"Yeah sure" Karin laughed nervously, but Juugo had already lost interest in her, now playing with a robin that had perched itself on the sill of the open window next to where he sat.._

_"Tsk..You need to watch your temper around Juugo, Karin" chided Suigetsu, mockingly , after watching the tense exchange between the two red-heads, " seriously , someone would think you have a death wish. It's not like we have Sasuke to calm him down you know."_

_Karin snarled at him, but said nothing_

_She had to acknowledge the fact that ,however much the little shit thoroughly deserved being beaten within an inch of his life, they couldn't afford to let Juugo go into one of his homicidal rampages , especially without the only person in the world who could pull him out of it around_  
_Which was another reason why they needed Sasuke back desperately, seeing that she was almost at her limit in the amount of lip and crap she could take from Suigetsu without her trying to kill him; and Juugo killing her and everyone in the process_  
_Since Sasuke had left them , Suigetsu had become bolder, if that was even possible , in teasing and basically annoying the shit out of her, knowing full well that she couldn't retaliate in a violent manner- in case her actions triggered Juugo off._  
_Catching Suigetsu's gaze she saw the smug look in the white-haired freak eyes which told her he was thoroughly enjoying her discomfort._

_Smug little prick!_

_Just you wait, she thought at him, glaring daggers at which he mockingly shivered in response._

_Just you wait until Sasuke calls for us then …_

_..._

_It's only a matter of time, she reassured herself as knelt back down to refold the ruined laundry._

_Only matter of time until Sasuke called for them and then everything would turn out fine._

_She kept repeating this thought in her mind, over and over, like a silent mantra, that soon enough, even Suigetsu's jibes no longer fazed her._

_Sasuke would call for them._

_Of this she had the utmost confidence._

* * *

 

**Konoha Hospital**

  
Hatake Kakashi, with his many faults and inadequacies, was however, well known for his ability to remain level-headed and calm in all, if not most situations. There was very little, if anything at all in this world, that could still shock him.

Or so he thought.

So it came as a very **BIG** shocking surprise to learn that his very male, and most irresponsible team subordinate was...

... with child …

….knocked up!

The news was such, that, for the first time in his entire twenty nine years of life, he found himself completely at a loss for what to do or say.  
Next to him, Iruka had collapsed to the floor in a dead faint, and as much as he adored the cute and shy teacher, at that very moment Kakashi couldn't have moved even if his hair had been on fire .

" Iruka's fainted" he heard himself say in a detached voice that seemed not to belong to him, though he needn't have bothered because Shizune had already rushed over to help the younger man

Dazedly, he turned to look at the Hokage as she tried to offer further explanation on the mind boggling situation that was Naruto's pregnancy, but as far as he was concerned, her lips moved but he heard absolutely nothing.  
He noted, in wry amusement, that he was currently in so much shock that he'd lost his sense of hearing

Turning to look at the boy who lay on the hospital bed, even in his stupefied state, Kakashi was impressed to note that even though said 'mother to be" had turned a funny shade of red at Tsunade exposing, what must be to the teen, his very embarrassing situation to his two former teachers, Naruto still managed to hold the jounin's gaze unflinchingly: as if daring him to say anything mocking or untoward, a small cute determined scowl set on his tanned whiskered face.  
And that ,surprisingly enough, helped snap Kakashi out of his stupor

Even pitted against the most improbable problem in the world, Naruto remained defiant

And as Naruto's former teacher and team leader, it was only right he led by example.

" So... a mother heh Naruto?"Kakashi gently teased, his voice only a bit wobbly as his arms shakily crossed over his chest, in a bid to stop the rest of his body from shaking as well. It seemed to him the shock had not yet worn out, "Can't say I saw that coming."

The blonde both blushed and winced at the terminology.

Kakashi smirked.

Maybe the situation wasn't as bad as it was seriously warped after all

At the very least, he'd have new ammunition to tease his cute blonde underling with.

Oh the endless and glorious possibilities.

On the other hand, it wasn't the most ideal situation for Naruto to be in, (even if he had been female) particularly in relation to his already delicate standing within the village.

Kakashi could foresee a whole load of things going wrong

But hey, this was Naruto they were talking about.

With Akatsuki on his arse and the whole nature of being the nine-tail's jinchuuriki,

...what was one little weird pregnancy in comparison?

All that was left for him to do was to ask the obvious question that he felt needed to be addressed.

"Has anyone told daddy Sasuke the good news yet? I mean , that is if Naruto's keeping it"

He was quite bemused to note that this time, it wasn't his jaw dropping to the floor as the two blonds in the room stared at him, dumbstruck.

In addition., he heard dull thud from behind, letting Kakashi know that the newly conscious Iruka had, yet once again, passed out

* * *

 

_**30 Minutes Prior** _

  
Naruto watched nervously as Tsunade digested his revelation.

At first , she had seemed completely shocked and bulldozed when he'd revealed Sasuke to being the other father of his unborn child.

Then, as the initial shock wore off, Naruto had braced himself mentally for Tsunade blowing her top off and decapitating him, seeing that not only was Sasuke was a high level criminal and also 'meat on the market'- to put it bluntly; but Sasuke was also a boy.(..to be fair, that last one was more of his hidden concern than Tsunade's)

Therefore he was very much surprised to see that Tsunade was not angry.

In fact she seemed to take the news quite graciously and her only reaction to what he thought would be explosive, if not at least, mind boggling news was to gaze at him,  
... her warm golden eyes piercing and unwavering as they bore into his, making him feel like she could read the very depths of his very soul. Not a single word escaped from her

mouth, which in itself, served to freak him out,

…just a little bit.

Why wasn't she tearing the room to pieces?

Why wasn't she shouting at and threatening him with pain?

Why was she calm?

It just didn't make sense.

The silence between them started to feel oppressive as the blonde woman continued to stare at him and he felt the need to say something, anything to rid himself of the building tension

"So..." he started, squirming slightly in his bed , hands resuming their twiddling, "...what now?"

Tsunade remained silent, and for a moment, it felt like she'd not heard him.  
However, before he could tear his eye balls out from frustration and stress, her mouth opened

" Frankly Naruto...I haven't the slightest clue yet," she replied hesitantly, a small frown deepening on her abnormally smooth forehead as she continued to assess him "... but one thing's for sure... this is a dangerous situation we find our selves in. Just imagine what would happen if the council finds out you're not only pregnant, curtsey of your furry guest, but that your child has a high chance of wielding both the kyuubi's power and Sharingan. It would be disastrous! They already shun you with just the kyuubi's power, never mind adding the Sharingan into the equation. I dread to think what would happen" she added the last bit with a shudder  
Naruto's shivered at the thought and then as the sheer enormity of his predicament hit him, his shoulders slumped.

" I know... I know..." he sighed , "...ain't it just typical that somethin' this level of shitty would happen to me" he added solemnly , raising his hand to ruffle his already messy hair , " what the hell m' I gonna do now 'teba?"

Tsunade's mind had been working in overdrive since Naruto's revelation, and for one, had come to the conclusion that despite Naruto's extreme grievances at letting anyone know about his weird predicament- they needed help.

And they needed help fast.

" Well" Tsunade started hesitantly, knowing Naruto was not going to like what she was about to say next, " I know you don't want anyone to know about you preg- I mean delicate situation..."

Naruto's head instantly snapped up at Tsunade's hesitance and what he saw in her eyes made him narrow his .  
Tsunade had the grace to look away , which only made Naruto more suspicious. He had an inkling he wasn't going to like what was coming next

"Yeah" he urged her on , his voice laced with apprehension

"... and for the most part I agree" Tsunade continued, waving her hands in a reassuring manner, though it didn't seem,at all, to calm him one bit, " but I think we should let your team know that you're-"

"No!"

"Bu-"

"I said no...never...ain't gonna happen"

Tsunade had anticipated Naruto reacting that way, seeing how he was glaring at her for even suggesting they let people know.

However, Tsunade knew that even if they hid his pregnancy now, very soon Naruto was going to show and they'd be hard pressed trying to explain why the blonde was walking around looking like he'd swallowed a giant inflated beach ball, without making council and elders suspicious-

-and frankly it would be all together good to have the people Naruto trusted implicitly, ready, prepared and having his back if anything went wrong.

So she waited and watched Naruto as he fumed and grumbled to himself whilst glaring daggers at her, at her sheer audacity.  
When he seemed to calm down, she tried again, her voice soft and pleading

" Naruto- "

" I said no baa-chan!" he interjected angrily, " and there's nothin' ya can say to me that will make me change m'mind dattebayo!"

"I know" the hokage sighed tiredly, wiping a hand down her face in exasperation then raising her gaze to meet Naruto's furious glare- it was time for another approach . Tsunade raised her hands as if surrendering and then spoke, "I wont force you to tell your team-mates anything Naruto, but can you answer me just a few questions?"  
Naruto narrowed his eyes but Tsunade held his gaze steadily.

" Fine …" he conceded hesitantly, " what?"

"How are you going to explain yourself to your team-mates when you start walking around with a big melon belly or when you can't keep up with your team on a mission cause the baby is using up your chakra and you end up making yourself a liability?" she asked steadily, never letting her gaze leave his, " What then Naruto?"

Seeing the mixed emotions play like a silent movie on the blond boy's face, confirmed Tsunade's suspicions that Naruto hadn't really thought through how much his plight was going to affect his life

Or to be precise, was already , if the reports she'd received from Sakura , Kakashi and Yamato prior, were anything to go by.

His level of performance during training had been dropping drastically in the past three weeks and Sakura had mentioned him looking a bit under the weather- which was alarming because Naruto was hardly ever sick at all, thanks to the Kyuubi .  
That had worried Tsunade, leading her to think that something had gone wrong with his seal but she hadn't been able to address it directly because she'd been busy then with preparations for Sasuke's impending trial.  
However, nowthat she knew the reason why Naruto had been like that, it was annoying to realise that the situation had hardly improved.  
In fact it was a worse condition for them to be in, for very many reasons she was too scared to delve too deep into.

" W-well..w-we ...um..." Naruto struggled to think, grasping at straws, " ah..." he suddenly bucked up , pointing into the air as an idea hit him, " when I start ...um...uh...you know...er showin'" he said disgustedly, miming a bump over his belly for emphasis, " we can pretend ya send me on a long term mission and then I can go under cover , maybe to the Wave Country … probably stay with Tazuna ojissan and Inari and then come back when its all over and there won't be a reason to tell no one" he finished, his signature dazzling grin smug on his innocent, whisker scarred face..

Not bad , Tsunade thought- considering the idea was from Naruto in the first place.

From past experience , Tsunade and most people who knew him had come to expect absurdity and hokum whenever Naruto 'thought' or heaven forbid, came up with an idea.  
What was most shocking, though, was that his ideas usually worked for him

"It's not a bad idea but it's not going to work " Tsunade replied.  
Predictably, Naruto was miffed and outraged that Tsunade had panned his idea without consideration

" What do ya mean it ain't gonna work teba?" he huffed crossing his arms over his chest, glaring furiously at Tsunade, " it's perfect!

Tsunade almost laughed at the cute picture Naruto made, making her reminisce back to the first time she ever met him.  
He'd been such a brat back then and fortunately or unfortunately, depending who was concerned, he hadn't changed much.  
Naruto saw the tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth,

" Oi...' he shouted, pointing at Tsunade, his face red with outrage and embarrassment, "...don't laugh at me you old bag! You know it's a good idea but ya just want me to embarrass myself in front of everyone that's what. Well you can forget that coz I ain't telling' no one and I'm not gonna let you. You promised me ..remember?" he added accusingly,

" First of all, I'm not laughing at your idea," Tsunade replied in a voice shaky with her weak attempt at controlling the mirth that threatened to overwhelm her , making Naruto narrow his eyes again , " I did say it wasn't a bad idea didn't I ?"  
A hmmph, was all she got as Naruto turned his head away in an attempt to ignore her, but she rallied on, her voice more steady,

" But as I also said earlier , there are a few things that you didn't think of."  
Although he didn't turn back to face her, a small head twitch let Tsunade know he was listening.

" First of all, I only promised to keep the name of the father a secret . I didn't promise not to let anyone else know about your preg- (a hiss) I mean situation. Even Shizune knows your condition..."

"Shizune doesn't count," Naruto quietly mumbled back.

Tsunade chose to ignore him.

"...and secondly you forget that you're a jinchiruuki and the council would never in a million years let you go on a solo mission..."

" But I've been on lots of solo missions before" he interjected , turning back to face Tsunade , all thoughts of ignoring her gone out of the window

" But not long term ones," Tsunade countered, " If you remember clearly, all the long term missions you've been assigned to , which haven't been many to begin with, have always been with your team, never by yourself"

Naruto knew she was right, but decided to continue anyway

"After Pain's invasion, the village trusts me more so maybe the council ...do ...too...?" he trailed off .

He had to admit , even to his ears his reason sounded pathetic and not as strong as it had done in his head.  
Tsunade eyed him pityingly , but decided to be frank and blunt

" You, more than anyone else, knows that there is no chance of that happening any time soon. I know there are some elders and heads on the council like Hiashi, Shikaku and Choza who support you , but many still object to you being a ninja in the first place , let alone you going on a mission... long term that is... Pain or no Pain"

Tsunade watched as Naruto's face fell- her heart twinging at the the pain she saw reflected there.  
Naruto had come a long way from the bratty kid no one wanted and despised and had grown into a to village hero Konoha was proud of.  
However , they both knew that his life would forever be marred by the single fact that he had the Kyuubi no Yoko sealed within him.  
There were still people like Danzou, Koharu and Homura, who would stop at nothing to have Naruto caged for life and used as a weapon against other villages .  
All in the name of protecting the village.  
Although she wanted to coddle him and smother him with as much love as she could possibly give him, Tsunade was blunt and brutal, as it was imperative that Naruto understood what was at stake

"I mean seriously Naruto, do you see Koharu and Homura letting you go?

Naruto shook his head resignedly at the memory of the two council members who'd made his life a living hell.

He shuddered to think of what would have become of him if it wasn't for the third's affection and conviction, and Tsunade's love for him combined with the sheer animosity she held for the pair, that been his protection against their hatred of him.

His friend Gaara, came to mind.

And as if to drive her point even further,

"Even if the whole council agreed to let you go on a long term solo mission, you forget that you're not biologically female and we don't even know if you can give birth naturally as of yet..."

Naruto grimaced, at the mention of birth, which served to remind him of the reason they were having this conversation in the first place - the damned unsavoury condition, but

Tsunade ignored him; she was now on a roll,

"... and lets say you can't give birth naturally and went into labour, how are you going to get the baby out.?You wouldn't be able to go to a normal hospital because that would alert the medics that your pregnancy is not natural. Plus your biological make-up is significantly different to a female's , even when we take the Kyuubi out of the picture, so we are talking uncharted territory here that will need professional monitoring . I can truly say, as good and as experienced as I am in the arts of medicine and healing, your condition would be at the least, very challenging for me, so imagine how much more so for a normal medic?. And that aside, how will you be able to stay with Inari and Tazuna when you're undercover...heh? They wouldn't know who you are unless you break your cover and tell them, which would then lead to you having to tell them the truth anyway. Or they'd soon figure it out themselves when you start to show , which is what you don't want in the first place. And-"

"Okay...okay...I get it!" snapped Naruto, raising his hands in defeat," I get it already , please stop. Ya beginning to sound as bossy and as naggy as Sakura!"

Tsunade smirked smugly.

Victory was hers!

"She is my apprentice after all"

Tsunade was slightly surprised to see Naruto face fall again.

She arched an eyebrow at him, a silent enquiry - which only led to him letting out a sad sigh,

"With me like this, I guess now I'll never get another shot with Sakura-chan" he said, finally , his eyes drifting down to hands that were now nestled between his laps.  
At that , Tsunade nearly chocked in astonishment,

"B-but... I thought..." she spluttered as Naruto looked at her, bemused, "... you an-...and S-sasu-...ke... I mean you're pregnant with his baby! Aren't you gay?"

Thinking that she'd seen Naruto' face go through all the varying shades of red possible Tsunade was quite amazed to note that Naruto could still quite manage to achieve yet another level of the deepest blush at what she thought a sensible assumption.

And apparently spluttering and stammering was contagious because the Uzumaki boy was now flailing his arms like a startled penguin as he attempted to clear what he thought was Tsunade's gross misunderstanding,

"Wha... I AM NOT GAY! Sa...d-definitely...possessed...n-n-ot...into...m-men... WHAT?" he protested, both shocked and attempting to explain , but somehow, he couldn't get enough air into his lungs to string proper sentences .

As he caught Tsunade's amused and confused gaze, he willed her desperately to understand that he was not that way inclined, and that what happened between him and

Sasuke had been a big, huge and absolute mistake.

A fluke that was never...NEVER...going to happen again.

"So let me get this straight...you slept with Sasuke right?"

Naruto winced but nodded in accordance

"And you're pregnant with his baby?"

Another wince and nod.

"But that doesn't mean you're into men and that you're into women?"

"Yeah" Naruto whispered back weakly

"You're not gay?"

"Hell no!"

"Riiiiight" was the only response Tsunade could manage.

In her own opinion, not only was the brat suffering from pregnancy but also a massive case of denial .

However, seeing how Naruto had a lot to deal with in one day, with more to come , she decided to keep her opinions to herself...that is, for the time being.

Unknown to her , someone else had the very same opinion as her and wasn't as hesitant as she was to share it with Naruto, as he was unfortunate to learn.  
The Kyuubi had no qualms at all in voicing his thoughts to the agitated teen  
Naruto was so busy trying to get the Kyuubi to shut up that he jumped when he heard Tsunade's chair scrap back as the big breasted blonde Hokage stood up and aimed for the door.

"Baa-chan , where are you goin' ?"

"Well...I thought we might as well get started" she answered , turning her head slightly towards him, "..your friends have been waiting for a long time and they must be very worried . Let's not keep them waiting any longer." she added as she reached for the door knob to open it.

"Wait baa-chan!"Naruto cried, hand raised and reaching out as if to stop her

"What is it now Naruto ?" asked Tsunade irritably, though she dropped her hand from the door and turned to fully face the boy on the bed, " I thought we'd already agreed to let your team-mates know. What's the problem now?

"I know, I know" he replied hastily, " I just thought since I'm ain't showing just yet, can we not tell Sakura and Sai j-"

"Naruto, we agreed..."Tsunade snapped back, her temper slightly rising.

She didn't want to go through explaining things to Naruto again,

"I know...I know...and we'll tell 'em but not right now . I need to prepare" he interjected quickly, noting the Hokage's annoyed demeanour, "Baa-chan teba, I've only just found out myself and m' just trying to make heads an' tail of everything' . Give me some time" Naruto pleaded desperately

Tsunade frowned

"We can let Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou know" he added as a bargain, when it looked like Tsunade was beginning to waiver.

Luckily for him, that seemed to tip the scale,

"Fine" Tsunade conceded with a sigh, "But..."Naruto froze at the sudden steel in the Hokage's voice and the hardness in her usually warm brown eyes, " ...you tell them soon, you hear gaki"

"Hai"

"Good"

And then she opened the door ,

"NARUTO!!!!"

...to a whirlwind that nearly knocked her over as it blew in and headed straight to Naruto's bedside and threw itself onto an astonished blond youth and started sobbing loudly

"N-naruto...(hic)... I was so worried!" it cried ," are y-you okay?" it asked as it began to touch him everywhere, checking for anything broken and other signs of illnesses Tsunade could only guess at.

Kakashi and Shizune , who was holding Ton-ton in her arms, strolled in at a slower and much calmer pace .

The former's gaze met the Hokage's questioning one- but merely shrugged

Both then turned to watch the two on the bed.

"Calm yourself down Iruka" barked Tsunade, though her voice shook from ill concealed laughter as she watch the mother hen that was Umino Iruka fuss over a blushing Naruto, who'd recovered from his surrogate father's dramatic ambush, and was now being subjected to prodding and probing " as you can see, the brat is alright"

* * *

 

**Present time (i.e 30min later)**

  
Kakashi looked at the two blond persons before him in amusement .

They continued to stare at him as if he'd grown a second head.

Today was going to be a fun day

"So I'm taking that as a no then? "

 

_**tbc...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Off to Bed-fordshire...will write proper notes tomorrow!


	10. Beauty is pain!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing (or not dealing) with stuff!. Sasuke deals (sort of) with the price of fame and Naruto is still stuck in denial. Also he faces a painful decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might trigger some people as it will have a discussion about abortion. Please err on the side of caution when reading this chapter if this is subject is sensitive topic for you. Enjoy!

**Outside Konoha Hospital**

Sasuke Uchiha was having a bad day.

A VERY bad day indeed.

Unquestionably, Sasuke was a highly developed and advanced ninja; superior in all areas of intellect, strength and skills when matched against the average, and... knocking modesty aside _(trivial concept really)_ ,... the not so average shinobi .

He was what they called... the crème dè la crème.

Genius.

Top seed.

He knew, for a fact, that only a handful of ninjas in Konoha, some only because he hadn't had the opportunity to test his skills against them, could **probably** _( and he really put emphasis on the term 'probably')_ just about manage to stop him, should he suddenly feel the urge to go rampant and kill everyone.

However, for the life of him and his immense power, he could not comprehend the scene set before him...

... a scene which left him completely flummoxed _(a state he was proud to say rarely, if not at all, occurred to him)_

To think, being accosted by a hoard of female staff and patients as he discharged himself ,should have been the first huge clue to what lay in store for him outside the safety of the hospital walls, left his mind reeling.

He never missed clues,

Ever!

So to his stupefied horror, as Sasuke, and his 'guard' Neji stepped out of the swinging hospital doors, he was greeted to a most dreadful sight;-

-the entire hospital grounds, as well as all of the streets leading to the hospital, heaving and flooded with masses of  bodies camping out; laying in wait for him to come out.

The sheer numbers of them were disturbing.

Most were laden with placards bearing his name, a lot of them sickeningly decorated with hearts, flowers, love messages as well as marriage proposals

The shock of it all was instantaneous, leaving him frozen on the spot; though when looked back upon in hind sight , it really shouldn't have surprised him that much.

His reaction was entirely un-Uchiha-like

Sasuke was very furious with himself.

How the hell could he have overlooked the extremely high chance of a catastrophe such as the one he was currently witnessing, happening.

Especially after the horrendous declaration Tsunade made during his trial, only a few  hours prior.

He should've seen this coming!

He was meant to be a bloody genius for pete's sake.

Nevertheless, for all his greatness and superiority, he had failed to foresee a horror so terrifying it could practically frighten the crap out of even the strongest of shinobi warriors.

The horror that was...

… the Uchiha fans !

Apparently, his time away from Konoha had, to his great disadvantage, all but succeeded in erasing his memory of the utter viciousness and chilling savagery that embodied Uchiha fan base .

Now his negligence had come back to bite him in the arse.

He could barely stifle a groan, as he unconsciously raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose, in a motion that almost mirrored Shikamaru, whenever the young shadow nin encountered something troublesome, which, with Shikamaru, was pretty much everything.

Behind him, he sensed Neji amusement.

Dammit, he thought, as he quickly restored his stoic visage, shattered from confronting the horror that is the fans, back into place and once again becoming the hard faced, cold fish that was Uchiha...a being that the girls before him should've feared...as everyone else did.

Shoud've , being the operative word!

Resigned, he knew he could not kid himself.

Of all things under the sun, Uchiha fan-girls were the most die hard of fanatics.  
Strong, determined and resolute in their desire for their Uchiha .  
Even the threat of a painful and slow death, when some got too close for comfort, which he had tried to convey many times before in the past; did not thing to deter them.  
In fact, he found out to his great dismay, his threats seemed to have the total opposite effect to the one he desired.  
They found him more thrilling, the more foreboding he became.

However, what currently distressed him more than the mass of bloodthirsty fan-girls _(and boys, he was surprised to see)_ was the knowledge that the Hyuuga had seen his discomfort- the momentary lapse, in which Sasuke forgot himself and showed weakness

That was intolerable.

Yet, it was not the time to think about putting Neji in his place -though he was made a mental note to deal with it later-

-for now, all he really needed was to get away from the crazy people surrounding him. They were on another level of dangerous he really didn't want to deal with at the moment. His mind was still foggy from the binding and he really needed to clear it in peace.

This desire of his looked highly unlikely since effin' Tsunade and the bloody council had basically given the buzzards free license to hound him as much as they wanted... all in an effort to win the highly coveted and sought after position of bearing his heir/s and reviving the great Uchiha clan.  
He wasn't at all surprised that the vultures had managed to find him, even though his location was supposedly 'secret and confidential'. Their ingenuity and resourcefulness when hunting down Sasuke in the past had been unparalleled.  
Naruto should have recruited them when he was looking for him, Sasuke mused wryly. It would've taken a lot less time.

However reassessing his situation, his amusement faded rapidly and his stomach started to churn.

Tsunade and her minions had truly fucked him over.

Brilliant!

Just bloody marvellous.

"Seems that you're very popular Sasuke-sama" mocked Neji's, his deep voice wavering slightly with ill concealed mirth as the long haired boy took in the scene before them.

Fortunately for Sasuke, the crowd had yet to notice them standing there, "...aren't you going to greet your fans or are you planning on keeping them waiting?

The older boy was enjoying his misery and it was really, really starting to piss him off... BIG TIME!

... he could feel his control slipping again.  
Despite it being beneath him and undeniably childish _(though the freak-eyed Hyuuga started it)_ Sasuke threw the older boy the most withering Uchiha glare and scowl he could muster and was about to follow that up with something scathing to the infuriating Hyuuga, who seemed unperturbed and highly amused by the murderous intent Sasuke was aiming at him; when one nondescript female, brunette from what he could tell, happened to look up and, unfortunately noticed them standing by the hospital doors.

Sasuke winced inwardly, when the inevitable happened- as everyone jumped at her teeth-grating screech

"Hey everyone look!" she cried, "...it's Sasuke-sama!"

What happened next was a blood bath... as the crowd surged towards him all at once, like a gigantic tidal wave; clamouring all over each other, pulling , tugging , biting - all of them fighting-all of them desperate to get to him.

The screams were deafening.

"Sasuke-kun will you go out with me..."

"Sasuke-sama, I want to have your babies ….let me have your babies..."

"Sasuke-kun I love you..."

"Marry me Sasuke..."

Oh how he wished he could obliterate them all with an Amaterasu, and for a second, he actually did try to summon his Sharingan for sorely that purpose.

However, the most blinding pain tore through his brain, as if someone had taken a sledge hammer and razor sharp needles to his brain and had started pounding  into it repeatedly. The pain was so intense against the noise and mayhem around him that he felt nauseated and almost passed out.

A pair of strong hands steadied him and even through the fuzziness of his pain addled mind, Sasuke knew it was Neji

"It's the seal" was what he caught, as Neji groaned out at the sudden weight of Sasuke's body collapsing on him.

Fuck

He'd forgotten all about the bloody stupid seal.

He'd forgotten that, for a while, he was powerless, even against the weakest of the fans, who now were closing in around him all wearing the same deranged and determined look of a starved carnivore that had just cornered its prey.

It was almost funny to note how he'd survived battles against formidable opponents such as the blonde Akatsuki whose name he couldn't be arsed to remember, Orochimaru, Itachi,Naruto.. only to be done in by a group _(albeit a rather large one)_ of insane, love sick, crazy, obsessed females _(and males_ ), whose vast majority weren't even shinobi.

Oh the irony...

As the pain began to recede, and his vision started to clear, he noticed that several Anbu had encircled him, and were just about managing to keep the fans at bay.

He also noticed, to his chagrin, that he was still leaning into Neji for support.

That definitely would not do.

He drew himself up, channelling up all his Uchiha dignity, pride and strength- then roughly shoved the Hyuuga's hands off him as if the latter's mere touch repulsed him-

-of which it did.

As was his manner, Neji, did not at all seem concerned at Sasuke's ungrateful response and merely set about straightening the wrinkles out of his clothes.

Sasuke's sharp perception, did not, however, miss the slight clenching of the Hyuuga 's jaw and a hardening of his creepy white eyes.

It seemed his resentful feelings towards the Hyuuga were reciprocated and though he could not remember a time in which he had fallen out with Neji to warrant his resentment, he **WAS** a traitor after all.

And it suited him perfectly.

He wasn't back to be liked or to make friends.

And Neji's resentment helped remind him of that.

"Sasuke-sama" spoke one of the Anbu- who he immediately recognised to be the female ANBU who had been on the team that had escorted him back to Konoha- breathlessly, " ...you need to get going. I don't think we can hold them off for much longer"

Sasuke didn't need telling twice, as one young woman in particular, managed to break through the ANBU defence, hurling herself at him, screaming words of adoration and undying love.

Luckily for Sasuke, although he couldn't mould chakra and perform ninjustu without bursting his brain, he still had his highly developed reflexes and his taijustu, and was therefore, able to agilely dodge the crazed female with ease of muscle memory, not even breaking a sweat; leaving the pathetic girl to crash painfully into the doors behind where he had been standing .

Serves the bitch right, he thought with a cruel smirk.

And with that, not caring whether Neji was following him or not _(which he was, as well as another Anbu)_ , he jumped, headed for the roof tops.

His destination-...

The only place he could go.

The Uchiha Compound.

Great.

Just fucking great.

Could his day get any worse?

 

* * *

 

**Inside Konoha Hospital**

 

" Has anyone told Sasuke the good news about him being a daddy yet? I mean, that is if you're keeping it"

They continued to stare at him as if he'd grown a second head.

Today, thought Kakashi, was going to be a fun day.

"So I'm taking that as a no then?

Tsunade was the first to recover...er somewhat.

"Kakashi... how?" she asked, lost for words.

Though she'd always known Kakashi to be a genius, she never would have pegged him down as a mind reader.

It was creepy how his intuition seemed to be spot on, every single time

" Baa-chan you told him" cried Naruto accusingly, looking at her with an outraged and betrayed expression, , "... an' you promised you wouldn't tell anyone 'bout Sasuke being...you know..."

Tsunade stood up from her seat, leaned forward and whacked the blond teen up the back of his head

"Ow, whatchu do that for ya old hag?" cried Naruto, as he rubbed the sore spot on his head, "first you betray me, then you abuse me...?"

"When did I get the time you idiot?!" Tsunade shouted down at him, hands on hips and bosom heaving. No one seemed to notice the slowly stirring Iruka, whose head was cradled in Shizune's lap, the latter along with her swine companion deeply stunned by the exciting revelation

"I've been with you the whole time and I haven't even left the room. When would I've had the time to tell Kakashi,huh?" the hokage reasoned, evidently exasperated by the blond boy

"It's true, she didn't tell me anything," Kakashi interjected when it seemed Naruto was set on arguing more.

He wasn't prepared to lose his subordinate all because of the said subordinate's stupidity, seeing how the hokage was quickly loosing her temper," I just guessed"

"You guessed?" both blonds asked in unison and disbelief- one, more so than the other.

As Tsunade had come to learn in her relatively short stint as hokage... with the copy ninja, nothing was EVER straightforward.

Naruto, however, had no such insight and merely scoffed at his former jounin teacher,

"How could you have possibly have just guesses that Sasuke is...is..." Naruto waved his hands about, clearly uncomfortable with talking about Sasuke's involvement in his predicament, "...ya know"

"The father of you baby?" Kakashi offered helpfully, not at all bothered by his former student's indignant glare at his 'helpfulness'.

It was, after all, for moments such as these, that he truly lived for,

"Yeah.. that" Naruto answered back grudgingly, unwilling to meet Kakashi's glinting gaze from his one uncovered eye- an obvious attempt at self preservation.  
Despite his unassuming personality, Kakashi was somewhat of a sadist and though Naruto was usually captain oblivious and clueless about many things, with this particular trait of Kakashi's, even he, had been quick to pick up on, " baa-chan didn't even know and I told no one. There's no way you could've known unless..." he gasped, his face draining in colour, "...Sasuke...told... you" the last three words, almost whispered.

Naruto's looked up, his gaze locking with the silver haired jounin , blue eyes trepidatious.

Kakashi raised an sceptical brow at Naruto, who immediately looked away from the silver haired jounin's gaze, a faint flush tinting his cheeks, clearly aware how stupid he was being (well, more stupid than usual).

Especially, when both he and Kakashi knew that Sasuke was by far one of the most secretive, tight lipped people on the planet and would've definitely never have divulged any details of his private life.

Ever!

All eyes turned to Kakashi, even Iruka, who'd just become lucid and had lifted himself off Shizune;-

\- everyone keen to know just how the copy ninja had guessed Sasuke's part in the impregnation of Uzumaki Naruto.

Kakashi looked at the two blond persons before him in amusement .

"It was a matter of deduction really"

"Deduction?" Tsunade asked , her interest piqued, as were the others, except for one, whose face looked from Kakashi, to Tsunade and back to Kakashi again in confusion

"What do you mean by that?" asked a puzzled Naruto

"It's like coming up with an answer, by reasoning, taking away various options until you're only left with the most plausible one" explained Iruka weakly, unable to stop the teacher in him from interrupting

"Ah my dear Iruka-sensei, it nice to see that your sweet self is back in the land of the living," said Kakashi, a seductive lilt to his voice, turning slightly to wink at the younger man, who had weakly managed to place himself against the wall near the entrance door, " I never knew you were such a delicate flower, fainting like that"

Iruka blushed in shame, and turned his face away,muttering, …' I didn't faint' ...under his breath, leaving the silver haired jounin to chuckle

"Kakashi, stop flirting with Iruka and continue explaining" interrupted Tsunade impatiently, seeing how the jounin was getting distracted, although she threw Kakashi a secret wink

She did, after all, enjoy watching Kakashi torment the sweet Iruka.

Nevertheless,all that would just have to wait, as she wanted to hear Kakashi explanation.

It was possible _(though unlikely_ ) that she could learn more about Naruto's situation and glean some more, if any, info on Sasuke _(the boy was too much of an enigma- he unnerved her)_ \- if the copy nin shared his deductions

"I beg your pardon" apologised Kakashi, however insincerely, "I got pleasantly distracted" he added , stressing the last two words and tipping him head to Iruka suggestively

Iruka's was now beet red and both Tsunade and Shizune giggled; but Naruto scowled, his face scrunched up, eyes slit-like-

...all in an effort to make heads and tails of everything

"I still don't get it"

"Don't worry"Kakashi replied patiently, evidently used to Naruto's continuous state of incomprehension., " you'll get it once I start explaining"

'You better" huffed Naruto as he eyed his former tutor crabbily. He hated being the only one out of the loop.

Ignoring Naruto childish pouting, Kakashi started to explain how, when he had escorted Sasuke the night the Uchiha had suddenly left Naruto's apartment, he had noted Sasuke's state of undress and disarray which he had, at that time, suspected, but had just now confirmed -given Naruto's current predicament- to have been acquired during an intimate tryst with the blond, seeing that in addition to his unusually disheveled appearance, the Uchiha had also spotted bruises on his neck that suspiciously resembled love bites.

This had Naruto blushing furiously, indignant pouting instantly replaced with embarrassment.

He also explained how he noted Naruto conveniently getting pregnant only after Sasuke had come back to Konoha and therefore deduced that if Naruto already possessed the predisposition to getting pregnant and had had a lover from the village that was not Sasuke, the blond would've probably gotten pregnant much sooner as he would've had plenty of opportunity to do so.

The red-faced Naruto noisily let out an insulted huff in protest to that deduction, claiming that Kakashi was making him sound like a wanton slut, much to the amusement of Tsunade and Shizune , who tried to hide chuckling snorts behind their hands- whilst Iruka looked scandalised.

It was clear to everyone in the room, the mere fact that Naruto was and had been sexually active was already a trying notion to the academy teacher.

Unperturbed, as usual, Kakashi took both Iruka's state of ne'er hysteria and Naruto's complaint within his stride, brushing both aside and continued to explain how he came to his conclusion. The jounin claimed that he found the timing of Naruto's pregnancy and Sasuke's arrival in the village, coincided too closely to ignore- especially given Naruto's obsession with Sasuke- and therefore had come to the opinion that Sasuke was the most probable and likely candidate when it came to the question of who fathered Naruto's baby.

"As you can see, it was pretty easy to figure out really when one thought about it carefully.If I'm not incorrect, given when Sasuke arrived, Naruto should be about three weeks pregnant, right?".

The room fell silent as everyone in the room, except for one, stared at Kakashi in awe.

Wonder and amazement were written all over their faces.

Naruto , however, was stiff and trembling with barely contained embarrassment , angry wounded ego and most prominently ...shame... especially when he realised how transparent, easy to read and obvious he had been made to sound

The hell...

"I ain't obsessed with bastard Sasuke!" he shouted furiously in objection to his team leader's less than flattering interpretation of his desire to have Sasuke back home.

It was not an obsession!

Sasuke was his best friend and of course he had and would've done everything in his power to chase after him and bring him back home where he belonged- and here Kakashi was making him out to be like one of Sasuke's crazy fan-girls.

It wasn't right!

He had never thought of Sasuke that way and he never would.

What had happened was an accident...

He should never have spiked Sasuke's drink cause now everyone was thinking he was gay for the teme!

He felt like ripping his hair out in frustration

The jounin, sensing Naruto's agitation at his poor choice of words, however accurate,- with how the blond had been dead miserable for the past few weeks - set to try and rectify his error.

"Ma... sorry Naruto. Did I say obsessed? I meant concerned" he said placatingly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, " just got caught up in my own words is all" he added , shamefacedly. For all the fun he got from teasing the blond, he really didn't want Naruto's BP hitting the roof, given his delicate constitution

"If you meant concerned you should have said so ," Naruto shouted back, refusing to be placated, " Just what exactly... Kakashi sensei ...were ya trying to suggest?"

"That's enough Naruto!" Tsunade interjected, placing a restraining hand on Naruto' shoulder as the boy got all tense, ready to rise of the bed and physical confront Kakashi ,  
" Kakashi's apologised and we don't have time to go over silly things . What's done is done and we now need to try and figure out what to do next. Is that understood?" she asked eyeing the teen seriously and with authority she rarely used over him, given she was the Hokage.

Naruto eased to Tsunade's pressure and backed down, though reluctantly, seeing the logic behind her words. However, Naruto being Naruto, though chastised resolved to act maturely by sticking his tongue out at Kakashi, as usual needing a way to express his disgruntlement.

"Ah indeed Tsunade-sama is right" blurted Shizune, who was speaking for the first time since the revelation, "we really need to consider the options we have and come up with a plan as soon as possible. The more we delay , the higher chance the wrong people find out" she expressed further, meanwhile bending over to pick Ton-ton from the floor and then cradling the pig to her bosom.

Her eyes were pinned to the hokage's intently as she said this.

" And what options would those be" Tsunade asked, picking up on her assistant change of mood- from amused to suddenly serious- recognising that the younger woman had more to say on the matter than she currently had, as did the other three occupants of the room who shifted their attention onto the dark haired female.

Feeling the pressure of their gaze, Shizune squirmed nervously, her eyes refusing to meet anyone else's except the hokage's who nodded encouragingly.

She knew what she was about to say was not going to be pleasant and was most certainly not going to be received well, however, she had been mulling it over and over in her head since she found out about Naruto's predicament and was utterly convinced, given the severity of the situation that they were in, that it was the safest choice available to them .

Besides, Kakashi had already touched upon it earlier when they'd arrived in Naruto's room, but no one at that time, apart from her, had really taken much notice.

" Seeing how Naruto being pregnant is not just going to affect us, but the ninja world in its entirety... in a manner in which I'm not sure is going to positive, " she started her voice soft but strong and clear- her eyes locked in on Tsunade's and no one else's,  
"- after much consideration over the problem, I think our best option would be to… um..." here she paused, her voice suddenly breaking- hesitating for a moment and hazarding a quick glance at Naruto who was now sitting up attentively, naïve excitement and innocence plain on his warm face; eager to find out the plan that would help him get out of the mess he'd found himself in- trust, clearly evident, in whatever she was going to say.

Her heart ached.

She didn't want that trust...

...cause she knew she was going to break his heart!

She gulped.

" Go on Shizune" pushed Tsunade when it seemed her assistant was choking on her words, the older woman's brow frowning.

Apart from when dealing with debt collectors, Tsunade knew her assistant was hardly ever the nervous type. She could sense tension rolling off the younger woman, who clutched Ton- ton tightly to her bosom as if gathering strength from the pig; who for once did not squirm at being nearly suffocated, as she too could sense Shizune's apprehension.

Somehow , it made Tsunade uneasy

"...we could... consider...um...ter..." Shizune stuttered, forcing herself to speak, her gaze avoiding a bemused Naruto " I mean... er...termination!" she said finally , with pained force, expelling the last word so quickly as if it was virulent to her tongue, her eyes refusing to look at the boy on the bed as she squeezed her eyes shut, burying and hiding her face in Ton-ton's abdomen, feeling like the very devil himself.

One could have heard a pin drop, in the silence that followed.

Naruto 's face had frozen , his eyes dazed with disbelief- as if unsure of what Shizune had just said.

There was a break as everyone in the room apart from Shizune, turned to watch Naruto apprehensively, unsure of how the blond would react.

Tsunade, Kakashi and Iruka , watched tensely as the implication of Shizune's words finally registered in the the blond's mind; his eyes suddenly growing wide with alarm and his visage turning pallid and bloodless despite his ever present tan .

After what seemed eternity of thick, could-slice-it-with-a-knife tension and bated breaths...in a voice weak, broken and lost Naruto finally spoke

" No" his voice barely a whisper, but the word clear for everyone to hear

As if a dam had burst, that little word set Iruka off.

With a wail and swift like the wind, the chūnin crossed the room to Naruto's side almost knocking a stunned Tsunade out of the way. Plopping down to sit on the bed by Naruto, the academy teacher gathered the devastated boy, whose body had gone limp, into his arms and started to rock him back and forth soothingly, as the boy repeated the word over and over again like a mantra , his voice so broken hearted it nearly brought tears to Tsunade's eyes and forced broken sobs from Shizune who still remained buried in Ton-ton,refusing to look up

" You have to admit, it is the best option" Kakashi spoke with a sad sigh,resigning himself to play the bad guy, seeing how he agreed with Shizune's suggestion, " it seems cruel now but we cant be hundred percent sure what Naruto is carrying is not a demon. By getting rid..."

" NO!" a muffled, anguish ridden scream came from the face hidden in Iruka's chest, interrupting Kakashi- and before the silver haired jounin could proceed; regardless of the disruption, a hard, angry and cold glare from the usually amiable Iruka stopped him from continuing

"It's not an option" finally spoke the hokage, looking down tenderly at Naruto, who was now sobbing uncontrollably in Iruka's embrace, " Naruto checked earlier and confirmed the child is not the kyuubi's nor is it a demon. It is a human child. I WILL not condone taking an innocent life" a steel glint in her gaze when she looked up and a hardness of voice in her words.

A clear warning for Kakashi to tread carefully.

However, as much as he respected his hokage, Kakashi felt he had to continue on, heedlessly. The situation was too dangerous to be timid, even when he knew he was coming across as a hard cold bastard.

" Irrespective of whether or not Naruto's assessment is true"said Kakashi carried on,altogether avoiding looking at Iruka and Naruto, and continuing to address Tsunade  
"... you of all people should know Godaime, that it is almost impossible for the council to stand aside and let this continue once they find out. They will not believe Naruto's child is human, blinded by their hatred and prejudice against the Kyuubi. You know how Naruto has suffered under them when they couldn't differentiate him from the bijuu sealed within him. What more, a child conceived due to it's influence? It's fate cruel to foist on it"

Kakashi paused to let his words sink in, watching how Tsunade's eyes perceived the truth and logic in his argument. Even Iruka's glare, when the jounin was brave enough to chance a quick glance at him, lost a little of its venom when he caught it- but only a little seeing as the chūnin still clutched the blonde to him nose up turned defiantly at Kakashi .

The silver-haired ninja sighed.

Iruka's anger did not surprise him in the least. The chūnin was incredibly protective of Naruto- more so than anyone he knew- and would defend him and side with any of the young blond's choices, even when he was convinced otherwise.

For a slight moment, Kakashi bemoaned his matter of fact, leanings toward logic and a reasonable way of thinking - that allowed him to see that going through with Shizune's suggestion, though cruel, would save Naruto and maintain the peace of the Ninja World in the long run- as it could very well have cost him having a shot with Iruka.

However peace to the world and Naruto came first, so he ignored Iruka's anger and Naruto's pain- and carried on;

"One would think it better to eliminate the problem and hurt now when it's small, rather than wait until the problem gets bigger and the decision gets taken out of our hands. The hurt will be all the much bigger and harder to overcome then" he finished, his voice noticeably softer and gentler, compassion and concern evident in his eyes.

" You're not killing my baby!" Naruto shouted suddenly and angrily, as he forcefully extricated himself from Iruka's hold, looking up to glare furiously at Kakashi, his eyes conveying the depth of betrayal he felt from one of his most trusted people.

" You are not taking away the only family I have" he added , his voice changing into an inhuman growl.

Iruka backed away from Naruto with a startled gasp as Naruto's body began to heat up and the jinchuuriki's face started to turn feral...his canines elongating , turning his usually soft mouth into a hard menacing snarl, eyes slitting dangerously. A red pulsating chakra enveloped him as he slowly rose to a crouch on the bed , eyeing Kakashi warily like a cornered beast, his cerulean blue eyes, turning red.

" You will not kill my child!"

 

* * *

 

_**3 Days Later...** _

"So what is this proposition then?" asks the dark eyed boy, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the blond haired woman sat before him behind a messy desk. Both her elbows are placed on the hard wooden surface, her beautiful ageless chin resting atop of long elegant intertwined fingers;- golden eyes watching him with equal wariness and distrust.

" I expect you were not at all pleased by the announcement I made three days ago?" she replies with a question, her gaze locked on him intently.

He snorts back in derision and does not bother to answer back, arching a mocking brow at her.

For it is a stupid question whose answer was obvious to both of them and he sees no reason to waste his breath.

He wishes she could just hurry up so he could go.

She ignores his blatant show of impudence, his stony countenance and lack of respect- and she has to fight desperately against the fury building within her- reminding herself she needs him for their plan to work

A broken bone or two wont kill, she thinks to herself, when she meets the boy's cold and mocking glare, but then decides against, seeing as it would rather be childish on her part.

Damn being a grown-up!

She is going to get absolutely shit-faced drunk after this bleedin' meeting, she promises herself, and the world brightens up a bit for her.

"I'll take your rather Neanderthal response as an assent" she carries on when the insolent whelp says nothing, "and as I said earlier, I believe I have a proposition that will benefit both of us and stop you from having to fulfil part of your 'obligations'" she says smoothly, her voice controlled _(which she is dead proud of, given the tension that is in the room)_

Although his visage and posture betrays nothing, a spark in his onyx eyes tells the blonde the boy is intrigued.

Hook

"And that would be...?" the boy speaks finally, in a dead icy voice that sends eerie shivers down the woman's spine, after a long awkward pause that ends once he realises the woman is not going to say anything else until encouraged to do so.

He hates it when people play fucking mind games and waste his time.

The blonde smirks at the annoyed expression that flickers, momentarily,across his stoic visage. The brat definitely has a thing or two to learn if he thinks he old enough to mess with her. She thinks to drag it on a bit longer, but knowing him, the brat would probably walk out the moment he loses his patience, which might not be far off, so she decides to get down to it.

" I have a female relative who has found themselves in a rather 'delicate' situation' out of wedlock... "

She pauses, watching for his reaction and is rather disappointed when she gets none. Nevertheless she carries on;

"...and I want you to marry her and claim her child as yours" she declares, her gaze never leaving his, "...meaning that, you fulfil both your obligation to marry and produce an Uchiha heir, albeit a fake one, within the time allocated and without much effort on your part and she is saved from shame and ridicule as well as providing her little one with legitimacy."

Line and sinker!

This time Tsunade is not disappointed as she watches Sasuke's well kept and ne'er impregnable stony visage crumble before her very eyes- various unrestrained emotions playing on his face, clear as as the sun on a cloudless day.

Shock , does strange things to even the strongest of people and evidently- Sasuke is no exception.

She lets out a sigh relief.

For the very first time, the Uchiha brat , looks like the person and child he truly is- not the soulless avenging angel he works so hard to be.

And somehow, that lightens the hokage's heart

TBC...


	11. Solution

**The Following Day:Early Eve; Umino's Apartmen** t

" No way"

"But Naru..."

"I said NO!" the blond insisted as he paced the length of the room in agitation, clearly miffed that Tsunade, Yamato-taichou and Iruka , of all people, were trying to convince him to do something that stupid- regardless of the fact that he did it all of the time with Konohamaru.

But this was different!

He would have to maintain it for a long time …  
...and worst of all, meet bastard Sasuke in that form!

It was degrading!  
Downright mortifying!

" There is no way in hell I'm doing something that embarrassing!"

" As much as I hate the idea, I think Tsunade-sama is right. This is, by far, the safest choice for you at the moment" voiced Iruka, who still looked very uncomfortable with the idea Yamato had drummed up.

 

To say the ANBU captain had been shocked when he'd learnt of Naruto's rather unique situation, was a gross understatement .

Yamato, however, had recovered quickly- only because the situation had called for it...  
... seeing as the exact moment he set foot into Naruto's hospital room, the young lad had begun to lose control of the kyuubi's chakra and looked on the verge of pouncing on Kakashi.

Fortunately, for all concerned , Naruto had only managed to achieve the kyuubi's shroud, before Yamato,- with great difficulty _( well ...Naruto had become stronger as a result of his training on Mt Myōboku and they also had lost the 1st Hokage's necklace, which would have been a great help)_ , managed to subdue the boy whilst Tsunade worked hard to contain the feral chakra within the room, least it was sensed by outsiders and raised suspicions.

If Naruto had managed to achieve at least one tail, all would have been lost.

After the boy had been finally subdued and had lost consciousness, Tsunade asked the rest of the occupants in the room to join her in her office so they could come up with a plan to help Naruto.

It was then, after being briefed about the situation that Yamato... after he'd taken some time to both recover from the shock of the news and had a chance to mull over the situation.... had come up with the idea.

Which in turn led them to the current scenario, in which Iruka, after a group vote had invited Naruto over to his house as soon as the lad had been discharge... ...with Tsunade present of course, to present the idea to Naruto.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto- as predicted – did not seem to take to the plan.

"Well, how is that different from me going away for a while?" Naruto argued,  
"If that is the case, why cant I just leave a clone here and go to toad mountain instead of pretending to be a girl and marrying stupid Sasuke ? I don't wanna to do it !"

Both Tsunade and Iruka sighed in exasperation.

When it came to Naruto, things were never easy. Yamato, however, did not seem too bothered by the boy's outburst , often used to dealing with the volatile blond on a regular basis. It was he who tried, again, to explain the plan to Naruto as calmly and diplomatically as he possibly could. That was the only way anything got through to the boy

"As we explained before, Tsunade needs to keep you close so she can monitor you on a regularly, so you cant go to mountain."

"But why cant she..."

"No I cant " interrupted Tsunade , when she saw that Naruto was about to argue back,  
"I can't visit the mountain because it is forbidden, since I do not have a contract with the toads. And even if I was allowed, it would raise too many eyebrows if I started to travel again. There are many people watching me more than ever since my recovery, just waiting for me to trip up and I can't risk them suspecting anything. Plus, I'm very busy you know. I am the Hokage after all. I can't be disappearing here and there at my leisure. Lord forbid...if any complication should arise when I'm away on the mountain... ", she tried to reason,

"...and remember Naruto- this pregnancy of yours is not normal in the least. In fact, it shouldn't even exist in the first place but it does and we don't have the slightest clue what's happening and what to expect . So if you want this to work out well, you will need careful monitoring and for that I need you near me at all times. Do you understand?"

Pissed off because he knew when he was defeated , Naruto, a perfect picture of petulance threw himself on Iruka's tatami mat and let a out long sigh of aggravation.

He slumped forward, elbows on knees, face buried in his upturned hands,

"So what you're suggesting is, that I make a kage bunshin that runs around pretending to be me, whilst I henge myself into one of Tsunade baba's cousin or somethin' and pretend to marry Sasuke teme?" he asked tiredly, voice muffled by his hands.

"Yes" came Tsunade's immediate response

One look at Naruto's crestfallen face had Iruka up from his seat to make them all some tea. The boy sure looked like he needed a cuppa .

Lord knows, he did

"Why don't I make us all a nice brew, while you think things over, eh Naruto?" he offered kindly, placing a gentle hand on Naruto's slumped shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. .

Naruto looked up and offered him a small smile that didn't seem to quite reach his eyes,

"Sure, why not Iruka sensei" he answered, " though I could really murder some ramen right about now"

"Iruka smiled at Naruto's rather pitiful attempt at normal banter and felt his heart clench for the boy,

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I don't have any ramen... but maybe next time" and with a pat on the back for Naruto, Iruka headed toward the kitchen leaving him alone with Tsunade and Yamato.

"So are you okay with this plan then Naruto" asked Tsunade when she was certain she had regained the blond boy's attention.

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice Naruto, you know that"

"Yeah right" Naruto snorted bitterly

Both Tsunade and Yamato sighed sadly. Since Sasuke's trial, Naruto's whole world had turned upside down and both adults hated not being able to make it any better for him.

Although for all intents and purpose, Naruto was an adult now;

\- that is, from the moment he became a genin, he had become one.

Taking into consideration the low life expectancy of ninjas in general, shinobi did not have the privilege of childhood for long and Naruto, more than any of them, suffered this curse sooner than most.

In addition, both Tsunade and Yamato recognised the burden of Naruto's power and potential

\- the potential to rival and surpass many of the legendary ninjas, both present and gone by.

However, despite weight of the life thrown on him , Naruto still managed to retain a semblance of naivety, an innocence and childlike nature that reflected a certain form of endearing vulnerability; a purity that made them want to protect him from everything bad in the world.  
Hadn't the boy suffered enough already, in his short young life.

And here they were, apparently, making his life worse

There was a long uncomfortable silence in which Naruto sat contemplating – presumably trying to find a way to say no and not go through with the plan-whilst Tsunade and Yamato watched on patiently.

In that time, Iruka had returned with four cups of tea on a tray, which he set on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"Here's your tea Naruto" he offered, holding out a cup of green tea which Naruto reached for absently, with a small nod of thanks.

The brunet offered the other two occupants in the room tea, which both took appreciatively, murmuring words of thanks.

He finally took the last cup of tea on the tray and sat himself down next to Naruto

"So what did I miss?" he asked, after taking a sip from his cup, scanning the faces in the room expectantly,  
" Have we come to a verdict?"

"Naruto is still thinking about it" replied Yamato, who also took a thankful sip from his cup

" Is that so" Iruka murmured , before he joining the others in silent vigil, quietly drinking his tea and quite comfortable to wait for Naruto to speak when he was ready to.

After what felt like forever, the blonde boy looked up to address his elders

"I can understand why I have to stay in the village after the reasons ya just gave... really I do," his agitated gaze alternating between Tsunade and Yamato,  
"But why do I have to marry Sasuke? I mean , I'm supposed to lie low and not draw attention to myself- but doesn't marrying Sasuke do the exact opposite. Every girl in the village wants a piece of him and won't me 'hooking ' up with him put me in the limelight? Cant I just be a single knocked up woman living in disgrace?"

Tsunade and Iruka chuckled at that last retort, whilst Yamato shook his head in amusement. Trust Naruto to prefer playing the unconventional role of a scarlet woman.

"I understand what you are saying Naruto and I can assure you that we have considered all your reservations, however , if I'm to be honest with you, I do not completely trust Sasuke and this is the only way I know how to keep tabs on him without being too obvious. You , Sakura and Kakashi are the only people who truly know Sasuke more than anyone else in the world. My placing you in this position is not just for you , but a mission to keep Konoha safe . Besides, it's only fair Sasuke helps you out. It's his baby too" replied Tsunade, adding the last part as a way to break the tension that has built up from her minor confession of mistrust- a meek attempt at some humour.

As predicted , it failed to make Naruto smile.

In fact he scowled as he looked at Tsunade in disbelief.

He hadn't liked it when Tsunade said she didn't trust Sasuke. It felt as if she'd stabbed him in the chest, right though the heart with a blunt kunai and twisted it ...and for the life of him he couldn't understand why.

"So let me get this straight..." he started slowly as if struggling to comprehend exactly what Tsunade had just asked of him, " ya want me to pretend to be a girl who is going to pretend to marry Sasuke just cause you want me to SPY on him?"

"Something like that" replied Tsunade unapologetically

Naruto looked at her in stunned silence for a beat and then shook his head.

"I ain't doin' it!"

"Why not" Tsunade replied calmly as if she'd expected this response, whilst Iruka and Yamato merely looked on , both sipping their teas quietly, quite happy to not be involved in the pair's battle of wills .

In fact, Iruka was of the mind to put more water to boil for another round of tea.

He was sure he had some leftover crumpets in the freezer to toast.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked at Tsunade as if she's just grown a second head and that head had asked him the stupidest question in the world,

"Uh ..because Sasuke is my friend and I ain't gonna spy on him just cause you asked me to"

"Well ...someone is going to do it whether or not you agree, so you might as well save us all the trouble and just do it" and with that the old hag _(according to Naruto)_ had the audacity to sip her tea calmly like they were just discussing the weather

"But isn't he paying for what he did already?" protested the blond in frustration, " why cant we just leave him alone to get his on with his life"

Tsunade put down her empty cup on Iruka's immaculate glass coffee table (to which the chūnin took her gesture as a visual clue to go put the kettle on) then sat up while sighing tiredly

" I only wish it were that simple Naruto. I know Sasuke is your friend and you hate the fact that he is not trusted. But also remember that Sasuke betrayed Konoha before and could very well do it again and trust once broken is hard to win back" she explained placatingly,  
"If you want, look at it this way, who better to look out for Sasuke but his best friend . If I'm to be honest with you, you are probably the only person in this whole village who could stop him should things go wrong" she added truthfully, meeting Naruto's searching gaze with her own unflinching one.

She knew she had won the moment he lowered his eyes and let out a long resigned huff

"I really wish I could have some ramen now"

"Crumpets anyone?"

 

_**A few day later...** _

**Root HQ**

'Is that so?" offered a contemplative Danzou, indicating, to the bowed man before him, that he was still listening as his subordinate continued to recount what he had found out during the past couple of days since Sasuke's trial.

He had sent for one of his most loyal men, Torune, a skilled ninja from the Aburame clan, and had ordered him to track and spy on Tsunade and Naruto as soon as he'd learned of the boy's collapse .

In hindsight, it had been a smart move on his part, especially subsequent to the meeting he'd attended earlier -which had left him with much to speculate on.

Tsunade had called for an unscheduled meeting with the council and Danzou was inclined to think that it had been no mere coincidence that this meeting was called just a couple of days after the boy had fainted.

Apart from Sasuke's trial, there had not been any pending matters for the council to attend to – well except for talks about the continuous reconstruction of Konoha- therefore he had been more than willing to bet everything that this meeting would most likely be about the jinchuuriki .

Unfortunately, he had never been so wrong in his entire life.

They had discussed the boy, but that was only due to him bringing the topic of the boy up.

And as he had deduced , most if not all apart from Tsunade and surprisingly Hiashi, had not been aware of what had occurred to the boy.

However, it was all insignificant for the time being, seeing how the main agenda they'd discussed had left him completely blind sighted... that is... if he was really honest with himself.

And that just didn't sit well with him

Thinking about what they'd discussed in the meeting Danzou could not help feel that something was definitely amiss. Tsunade had literally dropped a bomb in their midst during the meeting, surprising him immensely... and he hadn't liked it.

Tsunade's er... 'proposal'... for lack of a better term, had left him stumped and with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Not only had it been most disagreeable, it had been downright heinous.

There was definitely something not right with situation Tsunade had presented to them.

Something big, to be precise...that left him reeling with pent up anxiety and impatience.

He didn't like feeling anxious and impatient...it was so unbecoming of a leader

Tsunade was hiding something and, following her declaration during their earlier council meeting, that something was not a good thing.

Not if he wanted to become Hokage and protect the village.

Somehow and some way he was going to find out what that something was.

"Torune" he addressed the still bowed man, who had remained silent and still, even though he''d finished reporting everything back to his leader

"Sir" replied the man, his head slightly tilted up to look at his leader, though Danzou could not see his features due to the animal mask he had on.

"I have another important task for you... however, I will be needing Fu's skills as well " Danzou said watching the bowed man contemplatively whilst rubbing his chin absently , "Bring Fu with you tomorrow at midday and I will debrief you. Is that understood?"

"Hai Danzou-sama"

" Dismissed "

And with another bow, man was gone, leaving Danzou alone to formulate a plan.

He WOULD know what Tsunade was hiding … even if it was the last thing he he ever did.

 

**_The Council Meeting (...earlier that day)_ **

_"I know you're all wondering why I have suddenly summoned you to this meeting?" Tsunade begins, her golden gaze coolly sweeping across the room, watching the curious faces of her council members ensuring she has their undivided attention._

_" What is it this time?" grunts Homura in disgruntlement who , as usual, is sat next to an equally sour faced Koharu ._

_He is rather put out with the way Tsunade had dressed him down in front of Konoha's citizens during Sasuke's trial, and has not yet forgiven her,_

_" We had a council meeting only a few days gone and we are not due another one until next week. Some of us have rather a lot of work to do if you must know and we are all not as fortunate as some ,to have assistants who will do all our work for us" he adds challengingly, clearly hoping to garner a reaction from the Tsunade._

_Nothing pleases him more than undermining their brat of a hokage._

_"I'm sure you do" Tsunade answers rather stiltingly, refusing, with effort, take the the bait, although a hint of strain can be heard in her voice and her fists suddenly clench upon the table she is leaning on, " I am pretty aware of how busy all of you are and I'm genuinely apologetic about the inconvenience caused , however, this news can not wait" she continues , ignoring Homura and his barely concealed menace, turning to address the rest of the council members instead, " Actually , what I have called you all here for, is to-"_

_"Would this meeting have anything to do with the jinchuuriki collapsing after the trial a couple of days ago?" interrupts Danzou, who had rather enjoyed watching Tsunade's feathers being ruffled by Homura._

_For Danzou, his old team-mate was, at least, good for something._

_"How did y-" Tsunade's startled gaze shifts to the bandaged man, shocked by Danzou's question and clearly unprepared for it - though she quickly schools her expression._

_As far as Tsunade knew none of the higher ups, apart from Hiashi who had been with her when she got the call to attend to Naruto, had been aware of Naruto's minor episode-_

_-well-not until now._

_Her eyes narrow as her gaze meets Danzou's- she knows she has underestimated the vastness and efficiency of the Roots Intel network and she should have not been at all surprised that Danzou already knew about Naruto collapsing._

_Thankfully he doesn't know everything and she would like to keep it that way...or they will, without a doubt, have hell to pay!_

_However knowing Danzou, Tsunade makes a mental note to keep an eye on the Root leader - and tread carefully with her plan- else all would be lost_

_Unfortunately, she has not been quick enough to school her expression and therefore her initial reaction to Danzou's question does not escape the eyes of the ever sharp and vigilant Koharu_

_"The kyuubi vessel WHAT?" interjects Koharu almost screaming , banging her hands on the table her wrinkled face red with outrage,_  
 _" Tsunade... what is the meaning of this? Is what Danzou saying true? Is the seal weakening? Why weren't we informed of this? Was it because of the fight with Pain? Is the village under threat? We should have the vessel contained..." she rambles on continuously, stymieing any chance Tsunade has, to get a word in and as a result incites worried whispers and murmurs amongst the rest of the council and elders_ .

_"ENOUGH" Tsunade finally shouts loudly , fed up and desperate to get back control of the room and some semblance of order as the murmurs following Koharu's outburst escalate. Fortunately, her shout is enough to stop the old woman , however she can see that the rest of the council members look worried and agitated... well, all except Danzou and unsurprisingly, Hiashi- the former watching her with a calm and almost smug expression on his face ._

_Damn bastard, thinks Tsunade as she glares at the man , who is sat directly across from her;- how she would just love to wipe that self-satisfied look on his face **( well, what she can make of it ,any way ).**_

_However, first things first, she needs to reassure the rest of the council that Naruto is okay or else , if they decided to start sniffing around the boy, things would turn ugly, pretty quickly_

_" Yes it is true that Naruto did collapse" Tsunade explains placatingly, " and before you say anything..." she quickly adds as Homura tries to interrupt, "it has nothing to do with the seal..."_

_Both Homura and Koharu snort in disbelief, whilst Danzou raises what little of his left eyebrow that is visible, in the same sentiment_

_"... and all it is, is a simple result of fatigue from training" she continues , ignoring the three antagonists._

_Her answer serves to cause more murmurings, most of them incredulous._

_She sighs, though not at all surprised by the response._

_When it came to Naruto, reason normally didn't factor in most people._

_" I beg your pardon hokage sama" speaks Inoichi, the head of the Yamanaka clan, " not to sound sceptical or anything, but do you really expect us to believe that Naruto merely collapsed due to training? Does that not seem a little too far fetched to you?"_

_There are murmurs of agreement in the room as well as self-satisfied looks from three particular council members, who are clearly enjoying Tsunade's discomfort._

_Tsunade straightens to her full height and sighs , whilst swiping her face tiredly with her hand_

_" Far fetched or not, Inoichi, that is the truth" she finally replies, "It is not the first time this has occured as I'm sure you are all aware. Naruto has a tendency to overdo things. But no need to worry, I made sure to check the boy myself and there was no problem with him or his seal"_

_"How can we trust you to tell us the truth when it comes to the boy hokage – sama?" Danzou persists, stressing on the last word – making it sound like an insult._

_"True," adds Koharu, " when it comes to the jinchuuriki, you are known to lose your head Tsunade..."_

_Suddenly, the old woman frowns, as if she's just realised something; - she narrows her eyes in suspicion "...actually, while we are at it, why were we not informed immediatelty about the jinchuuriki? Are you hiding something?Are you , once again going to put the village at risk for the boy?"_

_Tsunade's face reddens with anger_

_"Might I remind you, yet again Koharu , exactly to whom you are speaking to" she hisses, her voice colder that ice, making the older woman and the others in the room shiver slightly at sudden drop of temperature. The tension so thick, a dagger could cut through it_

_Koharu in a rare moment of clarity, sudden realises, she might have just overstepped her boundaries._

_After all Tsunade is not hokage for nothing._

_" I am not at your beck and call and am certainly not entitled to inform you of every little thing that happens in MY village!" Tsunade adds, her voice slowly rising in correlation to her temper, " As I mentioned earlier, Naruto collapsed due to fatigue from training - and who knows... probably stress , seeing as his best friend was on trial. I checked on him and he was fine and my word as Hokage should be good enough for you. And how dare you question my loyalty to the village. Need I remind you that_ **you** _are the ones who hounded me constantly to become Hokage in the first place! "_

_There is silence in the room as the council members all look on in shock and slight fear ( **Tsunade IS a formidable woman even when she's unprovoked)** , as they watch their hokage struggle to gain control of her emotions- heavy bosom heaving up and down in a weirdly hypnotic fashion._

_"Thats all well and good hokage, but it still doesn't answer why you did not inform the council members of the incident with the boy. We are, after all entitled to know of anything that could be a threat to the village as this is OUR village as well" speaks Danzou, who, apart from a certain Hyuuga, is the only one unaffected by Tsunade''s temper,_   
_"in addition, how are we to trust your assessment of the boy's state of health. Regardless of your inarguable talent in the field of medicine, it is too much of a coincidence for the jinchuuriki to collapse suddenly, soon after fighting the leader of Akatsuki. You are hiding something from us."_

_Everyone gapes in shock at Danzou's audacity.. clearly having a death wish_ _seeing how Tsunade is now fuming with barely contained anger._

_Even Koharu and Homura, who love seeing Tsunade's feather's ruffled, are shocked by Danzou's arrogance as they both can tell Tsunade is on the verge of loosing it._

_But the Root leader neither flinches nor shifts his gaze from Tsunade's – merely waiting patiently with an infuriatingly placid look on his covered face._

_But before a catastrophe can strike , rescue comes from a most unlikely source_

_"If I maybe so bold as to speak" a pale , tall man speaks out from where he'd been silently watching events unfold, " , the hokage is the best medic known to the ninja world and does not need any validation from anyone in her diagnosis, however, if there is any doubt about her words , I feel it my place to inform everyone here that what the hokage says is true as I was present when she treated the boy. I can assure you that his seal is okay. Naruto merely depleted his chakra reserves during his training, which led to his subsequent collapse. I used my byakugan to check his chakra system and everything was in working order "_

_Astonished eyes turn to the man, whose pale eyes do not flinch, under their scrutiny._

_Two people in the room, are more surprised than the rest as they both know the man is lying- and for the first time that day, one of them ...Danzou... is left reeling in confusion._

_Why has Hyuuga Hiashi just lied for the hokage?_

_Tsunade, who has managed to calm down, due to the shock from Hiashi's support, is also confused but merely thanks the man silently with her eyes- the said man offering the smallest of nods in acknowledgement before schooling his countenance back to its usual stoicism - a gesture that is not completely lost on Danzo, who catalogues it in his mind for further analysis ._

_"If that is all" speaks Tsunade, turning back to readdress the council once again, "I assume it is okay for me to proceed to the main agenda before I'm once again interrupted?" she asks, her gaze falling mainly on Danzou, who narrows his eyes in displeasure but remains silent despite Tsunade's arrogant smirk at his sudden meekness._

_He hates losing,_

_" No?"_

_...and when no objection is forthcoming,_

_" Well- what I was  trying to say earlier before, the main reason I have called you to this meeting is to talk about the Uchiha boy"_

_Yet again, there are surprised gasps from within the room, including a surprised twitch from Danzou, which does not go unnoticed by Tsunade, whose smirk grows bigger._

_Even Hiashi looks taken aback._

_"...mainly in relation to one of the conditions he has to fulfil."_

_Tsunade pauses as she lets her words sink in_

_"What about it?" asks Homura, always quick to recover, and also full of curiosity._

_They'd sorted out the whole Uchiha problem for now and he can't for the life of him, understand why they are back to discussing the boy again._

_It was bad enough the first time._

_The confused eyes of the council members look to Tsunade questioningly and Tsunade knows her time has come. It is now or never._

_"As you are all aware I am distantly related to the Uzumaki clan through my grandmother Mito and great aunt Harumi who were both cousins and married the Senju brothers..."_

_Here Tsunade pauses and scans the room, to make sure everyone is following and is more than surprised to find them all attentive-_   
_\- even Danzou, Koharu and Homura, who are all, for once, letting her speak uninterrupted._

_Even Hiashi seems engrossed, so she continues_

_" As you are all aware, since we practically declared Sasuke Uchiha the most eligible bachelor in all Konoha, there's been utter chaos amongst the young and not so young women of Konoha in a bid to get his attention- and mind you, it has only been two days since the_ _announcement was made."_

_Many nod in agreement to this statement and most if not all look very displeased, especially Inoichi, whose daughter Ino and her best friend Sakura are two of the main forerunners in the weird craze that has struck Konoha's single females,_   
_...all fighting, in a bid in woo the Uchiha boy ._

_" And I presume, I would not be incorrect in assuming that most parents and relatives of these women are not at all delighted with their daughters conduct? That is, if any of the complaints I have received in my office in the 24 hours are to be believed?" Tsunade asks, her gaze shifting to fall specifically on the long haired blond man who is looking rather red in the face,_   
_" Am I right Inoichi?"_

_"Well I...um...that is to say Hokage-sama" splutters the man , uncomfortable to be put on the spot, as eyes turn to him at the the hokage's direct address. Rescue comes, yet again from Hiashi, who answers for him_

_"Although we voted in favour of Sasuke marrying within the village and procreating to ensure his loyalty to the Konoha, I can speak on behalf of many parents when I say that despite his excellent breeding, lineage and immense power and skills, none of us are willing to part with our beloved daughters to a deserter and a traitor- pure Uchiha genetics or not."_

_Surprisingly, Tsunade seems a little bit pleased with the Hyuuga's answer leading to Danzou, who is watching her carefully, narrowing his eyes in suspicion._

_However he remains silent , sensing there is more to come._

_"That is what I thought" says Tsunade, her features betraying nothing, "Is everyone in agreement with what Hiashi has said" she asks , scanning everyone's expressions, staying a second or two on her three main antagonists, none of whom protest or agree._

_However the general consensus in the room is in agreement._

_"Nevertheless, Sasuke has to marry within the top clans and to a kunoichi nonetheless, to ensure his maximum compliance and loyalty ."_

_At this most of the clan elders look away, Hiashi included, each praying that Tsunade would not pick them to sacrifice their daughters, although most know that none of their children would see it as a sacrifice but the highest honour._

_But a sacrifice it is- for most of the council members have had the displeasure of seeing the boy up close; and have sensed his coldness and lack of feeling despite his devastating good looks. And a great sacrifice it would be and inescapable at that, should their hokage ask it of them as they've all sworn to do all they can to protect their village as clan leaders and council members._

_The elders can see that any alliance with the Uchiha heir would be an unhappy one, as none could sense a capability of love within him._

_Even Koharu and Homura look a bit subdued._

_No one would wish such a fate on their offspring._

_Tsunade chuckles as she scans the miserable faces in the room._

_They are all a bunch of soft hearted pansies after all she thinks, indulgently ._

_It is lightening to the soul to see , how despite their pigheadedness , the elders treasure their young ones._

_Only one person remains unaffected by it all and Tsunade is not at all surprised._

_The man is devoid of a heart and any emotions, after all._

_" Cheer up you lot," she speaks, as the depressing air starts to feel stifling, " I'm not going to force any of you to part with your daughters."_

_At this, everyone turn to her confused and a little bit hopeful._

_"What do you mean?" asks Chouza, the Akimichi clan leader, who had yet to speak during the meeting_

_" As I mentioned earlier, I'm distantly related to the Uzumaki clan through my grandmother and grand aunt..."_

_"And?" interjects Koharu, 'helpfully', making Tsunade narrow her eyes menacingly at her_

_"...if you would let me speak, I'll get there" she admonishes irritably, and Koharu ungraciously shuts her mouth, pouting like a petulant child._

_"...as I was saying before I was yet again, rudely interrupted" a pointed glare is thrown towards Koharu, " whilst many of you know of my grandfather's lineage and descendants, which sadly ends with me **(here Tsunade stifles a sigh of sorrow),** I am pretty sure you are not aware of my great uncle's"_

_Yet again, the room is stunned into silence at Tsunade's words._

_Homura, is the first, once again to recover_

_"Everyone knows Tobirama se-I mean- sama and Harumi -sama never had any progeny. He died before they could have any. Plus they'd been trying for years." he says in confusion._

_Everyone's faces mirrors his._

_"Not any that you know of" Tsunade answers calmly, " When Harumi left Konoha due to the grief of loosing my uncle, she did not know she was with child. It was only after she settled in the village of the Hidden Waterfall that she realised she was pregnant. Not wanting her child to grow up hounded for his unique abilities as both Senju and Uzumaki, Harumi decided to remain hidden."_

_There are more gasps of surprise and disbelief._

_"During my years away from Konoha, I came into contact with Harumi , once again. She had recognised me from when I was little . She was old and almost on her death bed but managed to introduce me to her daughter in law and great granddaughter, who was only five at the time. Her son and the little one's parents , who had been shinobi, had died protecting the village from a failed raid of by rogue ninjas.."_

_"That is a very interesting tale of your family's genealogy Tsunade , but can you please get to the point" Homura interjects , having grown weary of the tale._

_Tsunade scowls at him, but carries on anyway_

_" I'd never completely forgotten about them but had simply pushed them at the back of my mind until I recently received a missive from the Waterfall- that is to say... yesterday, informing me of the demise of a woman called Haruhi. Haruhi,if you must know, was my aunt's daughter-in-law and the last remaining relative that my second cousin knew, which in turn, makes me the only relative she has alive. The time I mentioned meeting them was roughly ten years ago, so the child should be about fifteen or sixteen"_

_Comprehension begins grow on the faces of the council members as the implications of the information Tsunade has just given them begins to register._

_A Senju and Uzumaki heir means good genetics and automatic ties to the village._

_There is also the added bonus of no living relatives to meddle , meaning no ties to hold the girl back._

_They all realise, roughly it the same time , that Tsunade has just offered them a perfect candidate for an Uchiha bride- and what more, still young enough to mould to the ideals of the village._

_But most importantly, it means no one has to sacrifice their children ._

_It's the perfect solution_

_Almost too good to be true, thinks Danzou as he continues to watch Tsunade_.

_And so unlike her as well._

_" Why would you offer to marry off your only remaining relative to a someone like the Uchiha?"he voices his thoughts, suspicion niggling at him, " It's not like you to do something like that hokage -sama."_

_Tsunade turns to him with a wide impudent smile on her a face, as if she'd been expecting his question, " Because what better excuse is there to keep a close eye on the Uchiha, when he is family? " she answers readily" ... and should he falter or put a foot wrong with what is precious to me, what better justification to completely annihilate and destroy him?"_

_At the chillness and maniacal grin accompanying her words... for the first time in his life... Danzou truly has reason to fear Tsunade._

* * *

 

**_A Week Later_ : Konoha Gates**

When Sasuke looked into those those cerulean blue eyes, he felt a jolt of recognition, though he'd never seen the girl before in his life. The fact that the red head did not shy away from his piercing, unfriendly glare was also astonishing. Only one other person had the audacity to look him in the eye with such defiance.

Perhaps this trait was inherent in all Uzumakis.

She was astonishingly beautiful , but somehow did not seem to be aware of it and that served to confuse him more. Girls that beautiful, in his limited and reluctantly gained experience, rarely did not flaunt their beauty.

But the girl did not.

She didn't seem to have an arrogant bone in her body.

In fact, she seemed to be a little bit uncomfortable in her own skin.

Behind her, he caught a glimpse of orange and black jumper, blazing golden hair and eyes almost identical to the ones before him.

He felt a tightness in his chest flare up at the glimpse, but he was quick to dismiss it, returning his focus back to the girl.

Beside her, stood Tsunade, a reassuring and protective hand on the girl's shoulder.

He could also sense Kakashi, Sakura and his pathetic excuse of a replacement, Sai, as well as three others standing further behind, nearer to where Naruto stood .

However, for some odd reason his attention kept drawing back to the girl before him.

There was something oddly familiar about her and he once again cursed not having his Sharingan.

Behind him, Neji tensed as well, as if he too sensed something odd.

Oh well, that was not his problem .

All he had to do was pretend to marry the girl and provide a name for her child . He was already more than grateful he was not going to be forced to continue the cursed Uchiha line.

As far as he was concerned, the Uchiha would end with him, if he could help it.

"Natsumi, this Uchiha Sasuke..." Tsunade said gently to the girl who seemed a little bit nervous,abruptly jolting him from his thoughts,

" ....and Uchiha, this is Uzumaki Natsumi..." she continued , turning her sharp gaze to him, "...your wife."

Sasuke was mildly surprised to note that both Naruto and Natsumi slightly winced, along with him, at Tsunade use of the term

Odd...

Very odd indeed ...


End file.
